VULNERABILITY
MIDDLETOWN, NEW YORK
Two Months Later
Seated on Layla’s front porch was Jeannie Thomas. She was sipping on some drink that she didn’t know the name of and which she couldn’t figure out what were the ingredients. It was a mixture of sweet and sour. Drinking it made her lips pucker because the taste was too strong and acidic. She wanted to throw it out but didn’t want to offend her host.
“Layla, what is this?” Jeannie almost choked while speaking. “Layla!!” Jeannie spoke louder in hopes of getting Layla’s attention.
When no response was forthcoming, Jeannie turned her head towards the opened, front door; hoping to get a glimpse of her. Layla was nowhere to be found. So, Jeannie rose from her chair and walked into the house.
“Layla. Layla. You there, sweetie?”
Jeannie sca
