The evening stars

Sophie

Sophie awoke to the sound of the alarm clock, which melodiously reminded her that morning had come again. Sunday in Chicago was as gloomy and rainy as most days this fall. Raindrops pounded outside the window and the wind chased lonely yellow leaves. She reached up, smoothing her blonde hair, which was always a little unruly in the morning, and got out of bed. The hair clip was waiting for her on the bedside table as usual, and Sophie twisted her hair into a bun and secured it so it wouldn't fall in her face. Blue eyes reflecting the morning light looked a little tired but determined.

Her weekend morning ritual was the same: breakfast, a walk with Skye, and getting ready for figure skating practice. Skye, her faithful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was waiting for her at the door, tail wagging impatiently. Sophie was dressed in comfortable black athletic pants and a jacket that would protect her from the freezing rain, even though her style of dress often left much to be desired. At school, she wore strict suits or understated clothes to match her professional image as an elementary school teacher. On weekends, however, her preferences fluctuated between athletic outfits for practice and something more casual for outings.

After a walk with Skye, Sophie headed to the figure skating gym. Her fascination with the sport began when she was a child, and since then it had become her way of escaping from her daily routine. With every movement on the ice, she felt her problems melt away, leaving only a sense of freedom and lightness.

In the evening, after practice, Sophie returned home and sat in the kitchen with a cup of green tea. She thought about her life again. She had been in a serious relationship in the past, but it had ended when her ex-boyfriend confessed that he didn't want to start a family and have children. It was a tough decision, but Sophie knew it was the right thing to do. She wanted something more in life, something that included not only a career but the opportunity to build a real family.

As she sipped her tea, her thoughts returned to the fact that she would have to decide how she wanted to live her life again. Sophie was sure of one thing - she needed a change, and perhaps that change was near.

Sophie was raised solely by her mother, Clara, who was consumed with finding a new romantic happiness. When Sophie was born, her father kicked them out the door, fearing the new family might take his real estate. Clara was left alone with an infant, and her life, full of failed attempts to find true love, was centered on her own worries and desires.

Clara often disappeared on dates and in search of a new partner, leaving Sophie in the care of her grandmother or in daycare. The time that Clara could have devoted to raising her daughter was taken up with her personal problems and new relationships. This created a constant feeling of instability and lack of maternal attention in Sophie's life. At the same time, she did not perceive the absence of her father as something painful or simply did not think about it.

Sophie got used to her life changing early on with each new stepfather. The change of three men who came and went from her life left a trail of disappointment and distrust in her soul. Each of these stepfathers brought their own problems and frustrations and their relationship with Sophie never worked out. They couldn't replace her father and only added to her feelings of loneliness. One of them wanted a child of his own, another already had children of his own and didn't need Sophie, and the third came into her mother's life when young Soph had already left the apartment where she lived with her mother.

Her mother's views on happiness and love were naive and superficial. Clara believed that her own happiness depended on how much she was loved by those around her and sought it in new romantic relationships, but not in the child she already had, which she didn't want, to tell the truth. Sophie, watching this, realized that she didn't want to repeat her mother's fate. She realized that happiness and contentment could not depend on external factors and other people. Her goal became to learn to love herself, to find joy in her own accomplishments, and to build her life on her own foundations.

Sophie decided that her future would not be like her mother's life. She sought inner harmony and autonomy, refusing to repeat the mistakes of the past or seek her happiness by depending on others. And life seemed to want to give her every opportunity to do just that.

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Dear reader, I am very happy to present you my first book. Every endeavor is a labor that craves support. So I will be immensely happy and delighted if you give this book a chance and share your opinion. Thank you!