Chapter 1 - Suns Rays Woke Me Up...

      One cold, rainy day in May a woman was found lying up against a tree pondering if her life was worth living. The sound of a hand gun going off tells only part of the story. Her life was that of mistrust, lies, and belittling that ended her life so soon at the age of 45.

      Michelle Anikis was born in Pennsylvania and raised in a household of four – as are the majority of American families today. She grew up with a sister who was always older, smarter, and more intelligent than she would ever be. Her parents never fully understood the meaning of true love and repayment. They only knew what they were taught, which was labor and gain. John and Mary Anikis were the parents of two daughters, Sarah and Michelle, who always gave their best at their school work, family chores, and love for each parent. This never seemed to be enough for John or Mary though. Sarah was born first and seemed to get the most attention, while Michelle worked the hardest and never got any recognition for all that she accomplished. It was always an uphill struggle that Michelle could never figure out. Michelle graduated from high school and went into nursing as her career of choice. She was once told by her high school counselor that she would make a good forester, whatever that meant. It meant nothing to Michelle though, as she was hell bent on becoming the best damn nurse there ever was. Ironically so, Sarah had become a nurse also. It seemed that whatever Sarah did, Michelle tried to do ten times better – and she did.
      The sun rose over the mountainside and the rays of light were beaming into the window. The rays of light seemed to aim directly for Michelle as they were right in eyes. She shook in her place, startled, as if somebody hit her. She woke up and gave out a slight groan and threw the covers over her head. She didn’t want to wake up yet because it was a Saturday morning and she didn’t have anything to do until noon. It was her day to sleep, but she couldn’t now that she was awake.  Michelle can’t go back to bed after waking up. It’s a slight problem but it didn’t bother her too much. She sat up in her bed and took out her journal from the dresser next to her bed. She began writing – The sun rose earlier than normal today. I think it is beginning to be spring now. I love when the flowers bud from the soft soil dampened by the melted snow. It always pleases me to see the life from the Earth in spring. Yesterday was a bad day. My father decided to put the dog outside and said, “The dog will be fine. He’s not going to run away.” Would you guess it, the damn dog ran away. Corduroy – the dogs’ name – was my best friend. We would go on walks in the woods and find animals, and I always took interest in the creek. So did he. I just want him to find his way back here. It’s really bothering me. I don’t think he’ll come back though. He’s not the brightest of dogs… Michelle stopped writing mid-thought. A tear fell down her face and she sat down Cherokee style and began crying with fervor. The dog wasn’t just her best friend. It was a part of her heart and the time they spent together only made them closer. After about fifteen minutes of serious crying she walked to her bathroom and grabbed a handful of tissues from top the medicine cabinet. She took a tissue and blew her nose so hard that the ballerina figure, which was inadequately placed on the sink counter, fell off and broke in two. She threw her arms down in a fit of anger and went to pick up the figurine. As she was about to pick up the broken pieces she hit her nose on the sink counter.
      Such was the luck of Michelle Anikis. She had the worst luck of any person around. Many people thought she was just clumsy, and jumpy. It wasn’t that at all. She had bad luck. Not just from time to time. She had a whole life of bad luck, and it wasn’t going to stop there. Michelle gave a yelp as her nose collided with the marble slab. She knew this day wasn’t going to be any better than the day before. “Oh corduroy! I miss you so much. You made my feelings brighter when things like this happen.” Michelle exclaimed. She walked over to the window to see if maybe her dog came back. There were only two chipmunks and a squirrel fighting over a nut in her yard. It was somewhat amusing, but not as fun as when Corduroy would jump for the bone and land on his back. Or when he’d run in circles around the house. Or even when he’d play with his toys in ways that weren’t always proper. These were funny things. Not a bunch of dumb wild animals fighting for survival. Michelle spoke out loud, “Corduroy, he’s what I’m missing.”