Melissa Huntsman

Find Hope

Alone for the night, Elaine pressed her hand to the cold windowpane, ignoring the pain that came with the bite from the chill. Beyond the pane the outside world was covered in a glistening silent winter wonderland. The beauty of it did not escape her, however in her heart she despised the cold. She finally pulled her hand back when the steam outline traced her entire palm. There I have left a mark on something. Elaine thought bitterly. Her entire life had recently imploded. An eighteen-year relationship down the drain. Yet another rejection letter from another job in which she would have excelled. Her daughter struggling in school despite her best efforts to support and motivate her. All in all, she just felt that she had failed. Which she presumed had been his objective. When he had left, he had taken with him two thirds of the household income. Leaving her with the same stack of bills to pay yet only a third the amount to cover the total. The stressed had been weighing on her since he had had left. She knew it showed in the lines on her face.