THE PATH OF DEATH
Never in her life had she been so
terrified. So paralyzed by fear that even
the simple task of breathing in and out seemed suddenly so difficult that it
required her undivided attention. Her
ears barely registered the bird singing in the branch overhead or the cars speeding
by on the busy street nearby. The weeds
in the cracks of the sidewalk went unnoticed.
All she could see was the little white building with a faded pink sign
that included the words “woman” and “choice.” She asked herself, How on earth did a good girl like me end up at a place like this?
The story wasn’t supposed to happen this
way. She had thought for sure that it
was a romantic love story that would end in happily ever after. Her beloved had given her true love’s kiss,
and had assured her of his commitment.
He was going to carry her off into the sunset. Into a future bright and full of promise.
But the promises had been shattered, right
along with her heart. Her true love was
gone, leaving her with a houseful of small children to raise alone. Adding another one to the mess simply was not
an option.
So here she was, walking towards the little
white building with the faded pink sign, scarcely able to believe that it was
really happening. That her story was
going to end in death – not only the death of the heartbeat growing inside her,
but also the death of her innocence and naiveté. The death of a dream.
