Chapter 1: A Brand New Life

Sam took a deep breath as she turned the key in the lock at 3344 Oak Hills Drive. She had thought about this moment a lot over the past few days, but still felt somewhat unprepared. Pushing the blue door open, she had to smile that even after all these years her dad and Angela had never changed the door color.

Once inside, she glanced slowly around the very familiar yet unfamiliar living room of her childhood. The stone walls and wood floors were still there but gone was the wallpaper and other 1980s decor (thank god!). Everything had a much more upscale and modern look to it, but Sam was still grateful for the few things that remained from her childhood. It may be 2022 but stepping back into this house always brought her back to 1984.

She remembered how nervous her dad had been as they walked up to the front door for the first time. She was trying to be supportive but was also still a little unsure of this whole arrangement. Her dad working as a housekeeper for a woman who had such a busy career that she needed someone to not only clean her house but to live in it and take care of her 7-year-old kid?

Sam remembered how her nerves had gotten the better of her, and she escaped back to the van before the woman could answer the door. Her dad would later tell her that seeing Angela open the door for the first time in her pink bathrobe made him almost turn on his heels because it hit him how strange this situation would be. That is until he actually got a good look at her and something just clicked. Angela admitted years later that she almost shut the door in his face until she got a good look at him and something told her to listen to what this incredibly good-looking stranger had to say.

Now, Sam shook her head to bring her back to the present as she looked at the sheet-covered furniture as no one had lived in the house for over 6 months. Hard to believe that she was actually back here, but also, something about it felt right like it was time. Hank had been gone for a little over 4 months, and it was time to start building a brand-new life with her children in the place that had brought her so much happiness as a child and teenager.