Chapter 5 - A New Spring
Spring arrived in Indianapolis six weeks after the trial, bringing warm breezes, blooming tulips, and new beginnings to Maple Street.
The house was ours now. Dustin had signed over his share of the equity in exchange for a slightly reduced alimony burden, and he had moved into a small apartment across town, where he spent his weekends alone, realizing too late what his mother’s toxic control had cost him.
Judith had retreated into bitter isolation, her neighborhood reputation permanently shattered by the public court filings detailing her abuse.
On a bright Saturday morning, Meadow and I stood in front of the bathroom mirror.
Her hair hadn't grown back to its old length yet—it was now a soft, adorable dark-blonde pixie cut that framed her bright blue eyes and highlighted her sweet smile. She loved it. She called it her "brave warrior cut."
She stood on her step stool, brushing her short locks with a pink hairbrush while I wrapped her in a fluffy towel.
“Mommy?” she asked, looking at her reflection with a wide grin.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Do you think flowers care what their hair looks like when they grow?”
May you like
I laughed, wrapping my arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to the top of her soft, healed head.
“No, baby,” I whispered, looking out the window at the bright morning sun. “Flowers just grow. And so do we.”
