My Mother always said, "Adaline we do not go off of what ifs and maybes." But I could not stop thinking about them. My mind would go off on random day dreams. Like what if the world decided to let by gone's be by gone's and all got along for the greater good. Or what if I met a gentleman and I loved him, living happily ever after. Those day dreams, they were not always ending in happy ever afters. My brain sometimes gets ahead of itself and does not stop. So I would sometimes think about sad things; what if I never get to see my family again? What if I never get to love a child that is mine? Maybe I will not find someone to love or love me. Maybe I would get forced into a marriage without passion and trust. I will not have it, I cannot. These tangents were not always sunshine and rainbows. That is why I would have to come back to reality. To realize that the only thing you can be sure of, is what actually is. The summer of 1878, I visited my Aunts Château de Haroué in Lorraine. Supposedly, I would be introduced to society; I had come of age. A ball would be had, a ball where one would find a husband. A contract of marriage. They called it a Debutante Ball. Or was it all a lie? Cover Photos: Pinterest