Disclaimer: See Prologue.

Chapter One: Ten Years Ago Today

She was sitting out on her balcony, sipping a cup of coffee. It wasn't much of a balcony; in fact she'd had to angle the lawn chair she was sitting in so that it would fit in the small space. It did the job though. She liked to come out here and think about things; work, her lack-of love life, family and just life in general. Today was definitely one of those days where she needed to come out here and mull things over for a while.

She tried to pretend that she didn't realise weeks ago that this date was looming. It seemed somewhat less pathetic. The truth was, every morning for the last week she'd been out here, thinking about that particular "anniversary" that was just around the corner. Today was it though, the day.

"Happy anniversary," she said quietly. A moment later she was chuckling to herself.

"Sometimes you really quite pathetic, you know that. Not to mention crazy. Talking to yourself like this," she said a little more loudly. She smiled wryly to herself, shaking her head.

"Mom!" a voice could be heard shouting from inside.

"Back to reality," she thought. She got up and went back inside the apartment.

Andrea Zuckerman had been inside her apartment for about two seconds before her nine year old daughter, Hannah, came rushing towards her, obviously worked up about something.

"Mom, where's my green sweater? I can't find it anywhere!" she said frantically.

Andrea wanted to laugh. All this fuss over a sweater.

"Did you look in your dresser?"

"Yes! I'm gonna miss the bus!"

Andrea sighed.

"I'll go and take a look."

Five minutes later, after discovering the sweater in the bottom drawer of Hannah's dresser ("but I never put my sweaters there. How was I supposed to know?"), Andrea was kissing her daughter goodbye. She debated whether to go back out onto the balcony. She'd have to start getting ready for work herself in a few minutes. She reluctantly decided that she should probably head for the shower. Besides, she was being a little over-dramatic. So she lost her virginity ten years ago today. So what?

"That's not the only thing that happened ten years ago today," she heard a voice inside her head saying.

Okay, so that happened too. But that was a good thing. She wouldn't change that for the world.

"Ugh. Andrea, get a grip and get ready for work before they send you to the loony bin," she told herself sternly. No more reminiscing about a night that's best forgotten.