The next four months were a blur.  Sandra’s life seemed ended.  She quit her job and spent days without leaving the house.  On most trips out she visited the local Wine and Spirits shop, the state’s euphonium for a state run liquor store.  One day she looked at the trash can and realized the amount of booze she was consuming.  She dumped the three remaining bottles and threw them I the trash and made a vow to not get another bottle.  She began to pick up the pieces of her life.  She didn’t need the money but she applied for a full time job with the 911 and they re-hired her immediately.  It was good for both her and the county.  They needed skilled people, she was already trained and she needed something to do to keep herself busy.  The house was an emotional liability.  She put it up for sale although financially she was well off.  Going home every night was painful.  Jeff’s company paid off a handsome life insurance payment, he had a $250 thousand personal policy and the mortgage was fully insured.  She had a home and nearly a million dollars in securities.  She considered returning to the military but decided to wait a few months before making that decision.  She looked for somewhere else to live because she did not want to live alone. 

The house was placed under contract in less then two weeks.  This was an indication that the asking price may have been too low but she didn’t care.  The house was like a albatross around her neck.  With settlement coming, Sandra began to look for an apartment and could find nothing really good until one evening at work one of the women at 911 asked if she wanted to share the one she was renting for half the expenses.  During the next week she put the larger items into storage and moved in with Joyce.  More than the price it was attractive because Sandra did not want to be alone.

On the eleventh night in the apartment Joyce made an advance and invited her to participate in lesbian sex.  Sandra declined, went to her room crying, locked the door and spent a sleepless night.  The next morning she left a note for Joyce with a check for the full rent for the next three months.  She moved her things out during the day.  Finances were not a problem.  She spent two weeks in a Red Roof Inn till she found another place.  At least there were people around.  She could go to the pool to read and at least be with people.  She was just about to sign a year lease for an apartment when she got a call from Julia, another female MP she worked with in the southwest.  Julia was moving to Washington D C. to take a position on the Secret Service presidential guard detail.  She told Sandra about the position and that there were more openings than there were qualified candidates and if Julia was qualified, Sandra probably was too.  Sandra said she would think about it.  She called the next day and declined the apartment.   She would spend a few more days under the Red Roof.