Eighteen
We gather outside the house. There's still snow covering the ground and somehow, that reassures me. It's still winter. I've not lost an entire season. I will have time to catch up, it's not like I've been gone for a year or longer. The light has changed though. The sun is higher than it was when I left and I'm sure that the snow is going to start to thaw soon. Some of the trees on the horizon are already starting to have their first green shoots. Spring is coming and I swear I'm going to come back this season. I'm not going to stay away for much longer. Somehow, I'm going to find a solution to my predicament.
"Where is she standing?" Torben asks Ruby.
She points at me. I'm staying at my daughter's side, holding her hand. I've craved human touch for so long that now I can't not
