Starting Over by Henry Jackman & Alex Belcher


Epilogue

Montana, U.S.

It was raining, which Rosie felt was fitting. She walked up the front steps and took a breath. She hadn't been here in a long time, and she wondered what kind of welcome she'd get. The world was in ruins from the war, but the farm looked just like it always had.

She raised her arm and knocked on the door. A moment later, it was pulled open. She locked eyes with Kenny, who was staring at her in shock.

"Well I'll be," he finally said.

"Hello, Kenny," she said back. "May I come in?"

"What fresh hell are you bringing with you?"

"Nothing, but good question," she answered. He snorted and tried to hide a smile. Rosie had always liked Kenny; he had a good sense of humor.

"Who is it?" Lucy asked, coming up behind Kenny. She stared at Rosie for a moment, confused. Then her eyes widened. "Oh my word..."

"Lucy," Kenny said, looking at her and then back at Rosie. "Looks like Rosie has some 'splaining to do."

"You got any coffee? It's a long story," Rosie stated. Kenny stepped aside so she could enter. She stood there feeling awkward until Lucy suddenly pulled her into a hug and held on tight.

"I really hope you have a good reason for leaving your family behind," Lucy said after releasing her.

"I do."

"No coffee," Kenny said sadly. "This damn war I tell you."

"Ration cards," Lucy added. "I feel like it's the 1940s."

They all walked to the kitchen where they sat at the table. Lucy joined after brewing some tea and bringing it over. Rosie folded her hands and rested them on the cool wood. She saw there was a dog on his bed in the corner looking at her. It made her think of Copper for some reason, which was odd since she hadn't seen that dog very often when he was alive. She watched as Lucy looked at her tea for a moment, seeming almost unsure of what to do, which Rosie understood. Her arrival was a shock. Lucy finally looked at Kenny, who nudged the sugar jar over to her with his fingers, and she nodded, taking the spoon and putting some into her cup.

"Well," Kenny said after a moment, looking at Rosie again. He looked tired, emotionally drained. "Let's hear it."

Rosie looked at her two old friends and felt like maybe, just maybe, she could have a new beginning after all. She opened her mouth.

And she told her story.

To be continued...


I so hope you all enjoyed Part II! I'm still avidly working on Part III, so stay tuned! I'm excited for you all to read it and hope you'll like what I've come up with :) I have made some minor tweaks to Part I, nothing major and probably barely noticeable...just little things to keep everything the same within the storyline.

Thank you so much for the continued feedback and support. It means so, so much. You have no idea.

Have a wonderful Holiday Season and New Year! Merry Christmas from me :)

Cheers!