Miles to Go

CHAPTER THREE - WAR AND PEACE

Alice didn't exactly have the best childhood growing up. Her mom walked out on her when she was 9, and her father was an abusive asshole. He'd not only verbally bring her down, but he had good aim when it came to throwing empty beer bottles at her. She was lucky to spend the remainder of adolescent years with her aunt and uncle when her dad went off to prison.

She found solace in literature and law. She spent almost every day at her town's library, reading as much as she could. She spent her nights with friends, medicating herself with whatever drink or drug she could. But that all changed (kind of) when she was accepted into Boston University. Once she packed up her car and headed for college, she never turned back.

Alice didn't meet Harold Cooper until her junior year. They were in the same journalism class together, but barely spoke. That was until one brisk November night, he was intended to go out with one of the girls in her hall, but at last minute she bailed. So when he ran into her at an SAE party, he immediately struck up conversation with her.

"So wait, she just ditched you?" she asked him.

"Well, I figured Cynthia was going to do something like this."

"Wow, what a bitch!" Alice cackled as she drank from her beer. She wiped the excess beer from her lips with her fingers. "How about this, why don't we get the fuck out of here and go grab a burger? I'm starving."

"I would like that." he smiled.

They spent the rest of that night at a local burger joint down the road and laughed over stories from early high school and college years. Hal grew up in Riverdale and wanted to get far away from his overprotective parents that ran a newspaper. He enjoyed writing and wanted to connect with someone who could share the same passions as him.

That night they found out that they enjoyed each other's company, and the feelings emerged when she found herself back in her dorm room and Hal's head between her thighs. She had other boyfriends in the past, but there was something different about Hal. He was sweet and understanding. And he definitely knew how to give pleasure. A week later, they began dating. A year and a half later, they were engaged.

The two were married in a small church outside of Boston and moved into a small apartment in the outer rings of the city. Two years later, Charles Benjamin Cooper was born. Everything was fine for a while. Alice had a somewhat steady job at a diner downtown while she studied for her LSAT. Hal spent most of his time at a small newspaper company in the outskirts of Boston. But as the years went by, Hal ended up losing his job, and Alice could barely get by to pay rent. And no law school would take her with her schedule. They began to argue more when they came home frustrated from work. He began making promise that he could never live up to. Alice feared that her chances of becoming a lawyer were over. Then she heard of recruiting for the Boston PD, and she immediately jumped in.

By the time she became a full-fledged officer in 2008, Hal's parents needed him to come back to Riverdale. Their newspaper, the Register, was falling under. Alice grew worried that since she just started, she wouldn't be able to find work, but Hal reassured her, "We can make things work in Riverdale. This shouldn't be anything permanent." Little did she know at the time that life in Riverdale would be something permanent. The three of them packed up and moved to Riverdale. Alice was able to sign onto the Riverdale PD, and Hal's parents retired to Florida, leaving him the official owner of the Register. Things were finally starting to feel right again. They decided that they were going to give their Chic a little brother or sister. Then came the miscarriage. Then a negative pregnancy test. And another. They kept trying for the first three years, both nothing was happening. There was no luck anymore.