Anything Can Happen

She couldn't eat. Her stomach roiled as she pushed her food around her plate, unsure whether the nausea she felt was normal or because of the fear. Saturday dinner in the Winsome household was usually a lively one, filled with conversation about the day passed and plans for the coming week. Phone calls weren't allowed. There were no meals around the television. Mealtime was family time and it always had been. Abigail's father had never allowed these things in their home. His family was the most important thing, other than his work, which made the news she had to break even more painful. Today's dinner was unusually quiet as if the house itself knew that something was looming. "Abbie, are you all right honey?" her mother asked, noticing the untouched food. She could have said yes, and ended it there, wait for after their meal, but her anxiety was too great and the words quivered from her mouth then exploded into the room like cannon fire. In an instant, Abbie's life took a new path, and she knew things would never be the same. Their only child and a source of joy and pride, she had just broken their hearts, disappointing them to levels she couldn't even fathom. Follow Abbie on her journey out of childhood, and learning how to make new decisions and stand up for herself, and her responsibilities into adulthood.