Step 17. Wipers On
Playlist: “November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses
Suddenly, I am awake. (Don’t you just hate it when a timeline begins that way?)
It’s jarring to be sure, but I don’t startle today. While it takes me a few minutes to process the barely lit room I am in, I begin to recognize the wood paneled walls and high ranch-style single window in the room with the faded blue quilt covering me. I am further comforted this morning by the enveloping warmth beside me. Eric’s breath, steady and deep, blows into my hair, creating a soothing sound above the whir of the overworked heater that he must have brought into the room at some point.
I remember sitting quietly in front of a fire with my head on Eric’s broad chest and arms wrapped around each other. Now, the only thing that has changed a
