Alison Barrington scurried about the bathroom, frantically putting the finishing touches on her makeup.
The past few months had been pure torture for her: a mistaken charge for a murder that she didn't commit and
the return of Rafe, the love of her life, who didn't even remember her. In fact, this new Rafe had gone and done
something Alison knew her Rafe would never do: marry Livvie, her former best friend, and conceive a child with
her!
Luckily, Alison's best friend, Jack Ramsey, and his roommate, Jamal Woods, had been kind enough to let her
stay with them for a few months, while she worked on rebuilding her shattered life. And that was exactly what
Alison planned to do, starting tonight.
'Forget the police, the lawyers, the judge,' she thought bitterly, 'and forget Rafe. From now on, I'm only going to
worry about myself.'
***
In a seedy motel room across town, Rafe Kovich quietly packed up the last of his belongings, stuffing them into
his unwieldy, brown, suede backpack.
He really didn't own much, he realized, only enough to fill one bag. That's all he'd ever really had, enough to get
by each day.
Rafe was tired, weary. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life this way. He was still young; there was still
hope, he prayed. There had to be.
Lifting the bag onto his shoulder, Rafe knew it was time to take care of that last detail, the one that pained him
the most. Silently, he slid the simple, gold band off his left ring-finger, dropping it onto the wooden nightstand
beside him.
Standing, Rafe declared triumphantly, "Goodbye, past!"
He paused a moment before continuing.
"Hello... future?"
The past few months had been pure torture for her: a mistaken charge for a murder that she didn't commit and
the return of Rafe, the love of her life, who didn't even remember her. In fact, this new Rafe had gone and done
something Alison knew her Rafe would never do: marry Livvie, her former best friend, and conceive a child with
her!
Luckily, Alison's best friend, Jack Ramsey, and his roommate, Jamal Woods, had been kind enough to let her
stay with them for a few months, while she worked on rebuilding her shattered life. And that was exactly what
Alison planned to do, starting tonight.
'Forget the police, the lawyers, the judge,' she thought bitterly, 'and forget Rafe. From now on, I'm only going to
worry about myself.'
***
In a seedy motel room across town, Rafe Kovich quietly packed up the last of his belongings, stuffing them into
his unwieldy, brown, suede backpack.
He really didn't own much, he realized, only enough to fill one bag. That's all he'd ever really had, enough to get
by each day.
Rafe was tired, weary. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life this way. He was still young; there was still
hope, he prayed. There had to be.
Lifting the bag onto his shoulder, Rafe knew it was time to take care of that last detail, the one that pained him
the most. Silently, he slid the simple, gold band off his left ring-finger, dropping it onto the wooden nightstand
beside him.
Standing, Rafe declared triumphantly, "Goodbye, past!"
He paused a moment before continuing.
"Hello... future?"