Chapter Seventeen

Brenda stood at the sink, scrubbing a stubborn stain off a dish. She glanced out the window to the pitch-black outside. She couldn’t help but smile as she thought about the plans she had with Carla this weekend. They were going to spend the day shopping in the nearby stores, and then grab dinner at Carla’s favorite Italian restaurant. As she rinsed off the dish and placed it in the drying rack, Brenda’s mind wandered to the last time they had fun. It wasn’t long ago buy it felt like it. Well was a beautiful day, and Brenda was so excited about it. Brenda faintly remembered the Italian restaurant, she had been there only once but it was enough for her to guess how much fun they would have, she couldn’t wait.

Lost in thought, Brenda almost didn’t hear her phone buzzing on the counter. It was Carla, sending her a text to confirm their plans. Brenda quickly replied, excitedly typing out a message about how much she was looking forward to the weekend. But as she put down her phone, Brenda