The cold downpour of the near freezing rain seemed to fit the mood of the day. Alice was awoken abruptly by the baby at four in the morning, and found it impossible to return to sleep, so she busied herself by cleaning the disheveled home. In the midst of this work, Richard woke and began to prepare himself for his day. In what had become an  almost daily regiment, he made some criticism of her, which eventually escalated into a large shouting fight that always woke the baby and lead to Richard walking out to work, slamming the door as hard as he could. She consoled the baby, suppressing her own tears because she had long accepted the fact that it would do her no good. After it had gone back to sleep, she watched the news, trying to take her mind off the situation.

It wasn’t long after that when the phone rang. She answered, finding it was for her. Apparently, she had been named in the will of someone recently deceased. When asked who, she felt a jolt when they spoke the name Evan Valantias. She sat down for the shock of the moment drained her. In a daze she agreed to attend the funeral, and to claim what he had left her. 

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The cold rain persisted for several days, and made Alice’s drive to the funeral all the more challenging. Her attention wasn’t on the treacherous road though, as her mind was reflecting on Evan. He had been her friend in high school. From first encounter they got along, and soon formed a fast friendship. They would spend hours at a time just talking about whatever came to mind. She remembered how one night he had told her that he was in love with her, and she didn’t know how to respond, she had just met Richard at the time. She politely refused, as he was her friend, and she had this special feeling about Richard.