Every little girl does it…. grows up believing she is a princess.  Her parents read her all the fairy tales about a prince and a happily ever after.   In a little girl’s world, animals talk, fairy god mothers exist and nothing bad ever happens.  But if, by some chance, there is a wicked witch, well,  a handsome prince will come and save the day.  Right? End of story?  Not quite so in the real world and the real world is just around the corner.

Life was just that…a fairy tale.  Her parents tried their best to give her everything she had ever wanted.  She was the ultimate social butterfly and Miss Popularity…Class Favorite, Class Officer,  Student Council Treasurer, Captain of the Cheerleaders, Homecoming Queen, Prom Queen…Junior Miss of her small town…what else was there?  Everything she ever tried, she achieved.  Everything. 

 After graduation, college was the first thing that didn’t come as easily to her as everything else in her life had.  There was too much going on…parties and social life.  Who had time for college??  So she made the decision, the dumb decision that turned out to be the worst decision of her life, to quit school and go to work.  She was offered a job by a friend’s parents,  that was promising.  Her parents weren’t too supportive, at first.  But her argument was…not everybody was made for college.  Her grades were proof.  So, she began another journey….how could she fail??

She started her first full time job at 19 years old.  She thought she knew it all and had the world by the tail.  She was making money and saved up for her first apartment.  Life was good.  She had friends to hang out with..no real steady boyfriend, but she was ok with that.  She was young…too young to see what was coming. 

He was nine years older and a manager of the company where she worked.  He knew better and she should’ve.   He was married with two kids, but he said all the right things to a 19 year old who had never said “I love you” even to her high school sweetheart of three years.  She wasn’t raised to believe that this was okay.  With everything her parents gave her, they still raised her in church and taught her right from wrong.  She knew this wasn’t right.  She didn’t think he would actually show up at her apartment, but he did.   Rumors start quickly in a small town.    Her fairy tale became a soap opera.  The hurt she saw in her parent’s eyes crushed her, but she thought they just didn’t understand.   They had always been so supportive.  Why couldn’t they see how happy she was and love him too?  This was meant to be.  He would marry her.  She just knew he would.  He won’t cheat on her.  Cheating only happens in soap operas….