Christmas Behind Bars #simplychristmascontest

Chapter 20- Do Two Wrongs Make a Right?

     After a fitful night of tossing and turning on the less than accommodating mattress in the cheerless jail cell, Darcy was released. Though her parents pressed her to stay with them for Christmas, she knew it would be impossible to pretend the events of the last few days had no impact on their opinion of her. How could they welcome a felon for Christmas dinner? Though she'd heard of programs placing ex-con's in homes for the holidays, she believed her wounds were still too fresh to risk the experiment.

It took much convincing, but finally, they accepted her decision to go home. She made no promises to come for the New Year's Eve gathering they were planning, and in her heart, she knew it would be difficult to really get past all of this and find her new normal. As her mother wrapped her in a hug, Darcy whispered an apology in her ear. "I'm sorry for letting you all down...again."

"You haven't let us down," LuAnn shook her head. "I'm just sorry we made you feel like you were incomplete on your own. We only ever wanted you to be happy, but we had our own ideas of what happiness was. I hope you can forgive us for treating making you feel like you had to try something so extreme to gain our approval."

"I only wanted you to be proud of me," tears stood in her eyes and blurred her vision.

Gammy patted her on the back, "We've always been proud of you, Darcy. You're a special girl, and we love you."

Darcy clung to her grandmother's assurances as she wrapped her arms around her. "Thank you, Gammy."

Trudy stood up on tiptoe to whisper in her ear, "Don't give up on Preston. Something tells me we haven't seen the last of him. He loves you."

The kindly intended words tore a fresh wound in her heart as she shook her head. "I'm afraid that ship has sailed. It was all just an act...he never cared for me."

"Say what you want, but I don't believe that for a minute."

As Darcy made the three-hour drive home, she had plenty of time to take a long, hard look at her life. Never before had she felt so alone. Even though she had been single for a long time and was accustomed to solitude, having Preston in her life even for a short time showed her how much she would miss out on with him no longer in the picture. It wasn't real though, she reminded herself.

Taking the exit leading into the city, she watched the snow-covered houses slide past the window and sighed. I'm going to check on Hank, maybe we can spend Christmas together.

The thought of seeing the sweet, neglected dog brought a beam of sunshine into her, so far, dismal holiday. Walking through the maze of kennels, she found Hank's clean and empty. I wonder if they moved him. Looking in each cage one by one, she took time to stop and love on each of the dogs vying for affection, but still, there was no sign of her special friend.

A young, dark-haired girl wearing torn jeans and a t-shirt for a band Darcy had never heard of walked toward her down the corridor.

"Excuse me," Darcy got her attention. "I'm looking for Hank."

The girl's eyes brightened immediately, "Oh! He was adopted yesterday!"

Happy tears pooled in Darcy's eyes. "Really? That's wonderful! Do you know who adopted him?"

"No idea," the girl shook her head, "but we were all happy to know he would have a home for Christmas."

Darcy nodded in agreement, tears coursed down her cheeks. One of my Christmas wishes actually came true. A smile curved her lips as she drove toward the diner; it was usually open on Christmas day, and she needed to talk with Wanda. Even though the woman was...unique, speaking with her was always somewhat therapeutic. The quirky waitress did not pass judgment, she simply provided a listening ear and a good dose of humor when it was needed.