The Scars Within

Living the Cliché Life

It certainly did take awhile, but eventually Dad and Abel started acting more like father and son. It seems like all of it happened yesterday, so it's hard to believe it was more than 30 years ago. Once we finished high school, Ricca and I went to the same college. She and Jason stayed together through it all, just like Abel and I. Not long after graduating from college, Abel proposed. Of course, I said yes. My books have been selling like crazy, almost as fast as Abel's paintings have, so we didn't have to worry about the expenses. Plus, Dad offered to help pay for most of the wedding, so everything went smoothly. We got married a year after the proposal, July 16th. We decided to have an outdoor wedding near the lake, and the weather was perfect for it. Adeline and Ricca, who was my maid of honor, were crying, and I'm pretty sure I saw both my Dad and Quentin shed a tear, even though they'll never admit it. Something about 'manly pride' I think. Oh, Abel looks really handsome in a suit by the way.

Shortly after the wedding, we bought our first house. It's a two story log house, right on the edge of a large forest. It's a bit far from our families, roughly a two and a half hour drive, but we love it. During the time we were closing on the house, Jason and Ricca got engaged. Abel was out for blood at first, but eventually got over himself. Their wedding was beautiful as well. It was in an old chapel that had high ceilings, large, white pillars on both sides of the aisle, and a giant mahogany altar at the center. I'll admit, I did cry during the ceremony, and I know for a fact Quentin and Abel did. I'm surprised Adeline wasn't dehydrated from all the tears she shed to be honest.

Eventually, everything settled down. Two years after our wedding, Abel and I had our first child, a little boy named Isaiah. It was certainly difficult dealing with a hyperactive child, but we managed. A few months later, Ricca announced that she was pregnant. Once again, Abel was about ready to kill Jason, but he didn't. Near the end of her pregnancy, I got pregnant again. Ricca's child was a boy named Weston, and mine was a little girl named Daria. Abel came home from work one day with an adorable little German Shepard puppy, whom I promptly named Lieutenant, since Abel didn't like the name Sir Fluffykins, or Lewis for short. He was with us ever since. The house is never quiet now, even during the night, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

My Dad comes to visit Abel and I a lot. He doesn't come every weekend or anything like that, but little Daria has him wrapped around her finger. She has Abel wrapped up almost as bad. Isaiah is definitely a Momma's boy, but I love it. He tries to be near me as much as he can, it's adorable really. Abel's parents, who have insisted I call them Mom and Dad, come to visit a lot as well. Once again, not on a weekly basis, but Abel and I see them a lot. Ricca is happy to have gotten her wish of 'little Carmin babies,' so she brings Weston over for playdates a couple of times a month. Abel has finally accepted Jason as his brother-in-law, so family get-togethers aren't very hostile any more.

As of today, Isaiah is 21, and Daria is a few months away from 20. Lieutenant passed away roughly 5 years ago, but Daria found a new dog shortly thereafter. It's another German Shepard, but Daria named him Sarge, in honor of Lieutenant. Abel's paintings are still selling well, as are my books. Isaiah has grown up to be quite the lady killer, just like his father. However, I made sure to raise him to treat girls right, and I gave my cell number to his girlfriend to make sure he never forgets how he was raised. Sweet little Daria is a heartbreaker, but, because of Abel's protective nature, she doesn't have to worry about boys just yet. Plus, even if Abel isn't there, Sarge is always by her side, making sure she's safe.

Unfortunately, my Dad passed away a few months after Daria's 18th birthday. He was almost 76, so I can't say it really shocked any of us. All of us were sad of course, but I knew Dad was happy to be with Mom again. I'm certain they're both watching over us right now. He left Abel and I everything he had, since I was his only child. Abel and I decided to sell the house, after getting everything out of it of course.

Surprisingly, it was Ricca and Jason who bought the house. They had been living in a small house not far outside of Richardson, but they wanted something bigger. The whole family helped them move in, and Adeline is ecstatic that her new neighbors are her daughter and son-in-law.

Since the kids are out of the house and Abel and I now have more than enough money, both of us decided to stop working. We're starting to get older now, so we figured we would travel the world. It's something we've always wanted to do, but never had the time. Even if we get low on funds, with our professions it's not that hard to get back into the workforce.

Sadly, that means that this will most likely be my last book, for awhile at least. When I first started this book about my life, I thought it would focus on all of the bad things that happened to me, and how my life sucked. However, as time went on, I started to remember all of the good. Meeting Ricca, getting together with Abel, going to college, making lots of new friends, some of it probably wouldn't have happened without the bad. I can't say all of it wouldn't, because I'm sure Ricca and I would've been friends either way.

Anyway, I guess I just want to say a final farewell. I'm not sure how many people will read this, but I want to say thank you. Writing has always been my passion, so being able to share my story with the world is both exhilarating and frightening at the same time. I guess that's just how life goes, right? Ups and downs marr our paths, and we have to learn how to pass through all of the challenges that lie up ahead. Some may have paths that are easy, others have paths where every other step is a challenge to take. Heck, some might already have theirs laid out before them. Whatever the situation may be, I encourage everyone to live their life how they want to. I can't guarantee everything will turn out alright, but you never know unless you try.

As I'm typing these final words, I truly can't explain how I'm feeling. One thing that I do know, however, is that this story is how I learned to live with the scars within.

~Carmin Willow