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Chapter Thirty-Six: A Broken Wing
She loved him like he was the last man on earth
Gave him everything she ever had
He'd break her spirit down, then come up loving on her
Give a little, take it back
She'd tell him about her dreams
He'd just shoot them down
Lord, he loved to make her cry
"You're crazy for believing
You'll ever leave the ground"
He said, "Only angels know how to fly."
-Martina McBride, A Broken Wing
Carol had always wanted a large family.
The only child of an older couple, Carol had been given everything she ever wanted except a sibling to play with. She watched her friends longingly as they played with and fought with their younger and older siblings. They always had less than she did, but at the same time they had so much more because they had each other.
Then when she turned eighteen, both of her parents died in a car crash. Suddenly she was completely alone, and she clung to the only lifesaver in sight: her new boyfriend, Ed Peletier.
They were married a year after the death of her parents, and at the beginning, everything was wonderful. She became pregnant after six months of marriage, and she was so happy. They both wanted a large family, something that had drawn them together in the first place. Then she lost the baby halfway through the pregnancy. She and Ed were devastated, and things began to change. He became harder, hurtful, and by the third miscarriage, any shred of the man she had married was long gone.
Sophia was a surprise in the tenth year of their marriage. Carol was contemplating leaving Ed; she didn't need him financially since she made good money as a nurse. She was four months along before she realized it and even then, she didn't expect to carry this baby to term. When Sophia was born, Carol was beside herself with joy. Ed was indifferent. The first night of Sophia's life, Ed hit Carol and Carol once again contemplated leaving. The only thing keeping her was the desire to give Sophia both a mother and a father.
So she stayed and in the following decade, Sophia became her only saving grace.
"Carol?"
Carol blinked and found herself looking into Daryl's eyes. He wore a look of genuine concern and his hand rested lightly on her arm. "Hmm?"
"I asked if you were hungry."
"Oh." She looked out at the setting sun. Funny, when she had come out here, it was barely noon. "I am."
Reaching down, Daryl took her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, woman."
A smile tugged at her lips. Never one for traditional terms of endearment, he tended toward 'woman' and 'have you lost yer mind?'. At least she knew she was the only one he regarded in that way. He never had to say it; she could feel it in his touch.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, his hand slid over hers and clasped her fingers warmly. Her smile broadened and somewhere in the back of her mind, an old lullaby she used to sing Sophia began to play.
And with a broken wing
She still sings
She keeps an eye on the sky
With a broken wing
She carries her dreams
Man, you oughta see her fly!
The End.