Tragic Renewal Read Online Free Page B

was as good as it would get, she pulled the paper away and held it in front of her face.
    Get a life
    The message stood out in white relief from the surrounding pencil strokes. When she returned to her apartment, she trimmed around the words and laminated the now business card sized piece of paper. She slipped the card into her wallet where it would sit ready to give her inspiration whenever she needed it.

Four
    For the first time in months Harper slept a full night’s sleep without chemical aid. A mind was free to wander the highway of possibilities and make plans for a new future. The next morning as sunlight peeped through the blinds and fell on her face a path became clear as she opened eyes to a brand new day. A decent night’s sleep was the deciding factor between wallowing and planning for a new future. Despondency would no longer own the real estate in a battered mind, the time had come for Harper to direct a life lived under another’s direction. The wheel now gripped in her hands driving toward possibilities instead of self-pity.
    She hurried through a shower, combed and dried her hair, and tossed on stretchy clothes ready for a day of packing and cleaning. With a smile on her face she made her way to the apartment manager’s office.
    Bobby greeted her when she came through the door. “Well, good morning Miss Harper. You look perky and ready to take on the world this morning.”
    His happy attitude and refusal to acknowledge her depression annoyed her on earlier occasions. This morning she realized she’d been trying to bring other people down to her dark level rather than trying to boost herself to a better one. Feeling sorry for one’s self was a lot of work.
    She returned his smile. Hers genuine for the first time since Scott announced Isabella was pregnant. “Good morning, Bobby, how are you today?”
    Shock registered on his lined face, but not for long. His eyes lit up, happy to hear something other than sorrow dripping from her voice. “Well, well, Harper, I’m happy you’re in such a good mood. I’m doing amazing this morning. Every day I wake up is a great day. Cause you know at my age… you never know when the end will come.”
    She nodded in agreement. “I have news for you.”
    His silver eyebrows rose into a sharp peak of hair. “What is it young miss?”
    “I hate to say I’ll be leaving this place. Since I’m month to month I know I must pay for the rest of this month even though today’s the first.”
    Bobby typed on his computer and looked up at her. “Harper you’ve always paid on time and we’ve never had problems with you. When you moved in you paid first and last month’s rent, so you won’t owe us anything today. We’ll try to re-rent the apartment and if we can do that we’ll refund any funds that are left.”
    In her hurried planning Harper had forgotten about paying extra rent up front. When she moved in her mind had still been reeling from all that had gone wrong in her life. Set on autopilot she must have paid the money then pushed it to the back of her mind. “Bobby, you don’t know how much that means. I was still trying to figure out where to come up with enough funds to start over, I was winging it. This will help a lot when I get on the road and re-start my life.”
    “I’ve watched you since the day you moved in here. Dragging around with a hang-dog expression and acting like the world owed you a favor and hadn’t paid its debt. I’m happy you’re out from under that funk.”
    Tears sprang to her eyes. A single one spilled over and streaked down her cheek before she could wipe it away. “You’re right, I’ve been dealing with a lot of stuff, but now it’s time for me to fix myself. Yesterday I got a call from an attorney’s office about my friend Cara. The woman said they need to talk to me about her will. Long story short, I concluded it’s time for a drastic change and a fresh start is what I need.”
    Bobby waited several beats before