We
weren’t
sure
how
long
we’d
have
to
live
in
the
cabin,
so
we
spent
our
weekends
fixing
it
up.
I
think
after
the
first
weekend
we
fell
in
love
with
the
place.
It
was
in
the
woods,
on
a
mountain.
The
cabin
had
three
bedrooms
that
were
upstairs
and
the
rest
of
the
house
was
an
open
floor
plan.
I
imagine
that
it
was
built
for
hunters.
When
we
were
done
making
modifications,
it
was
a
cozy
home
for
a
little
family.
Of
course,
we
turned
the
little
study
area
into
a
downstairs
bedroom,
just
in
case
Stosh
couldn’t
make
it
up
the
steps
every
night.
I
was
willing
to
sacrifice
anything,
as
long
as
we
were
together.
My
parents
never
stopped
showering
me
and
Stosh
with
gifts.
I
begged
them
many
times
to
stop
trying
so
hard,
even
when
I
knew
it
wasn’t
going
to
change
anything.
For
the
months
leading
up
to
the
birth
of
our
baby,
they
visited
my
sister
on
weekends.
I
hated
hearing
about
how
sorry
she
was,
so
Stosh
asked
my
parents
to
keep
it
to
themselves.
I
understood
why
they
longed
to
have
their
little
girl
back,
except
unlike
them,
I
knew
it
was
just
a
whole
new
pack
of
lies.
Our
little
house
was
perfect
for
us.
Stosh
started
using
crutches
to
get
around.
The
more
he
struggled,
the
better
he
did
at
succeeding.
He
stopped
complaining
about
being
disabled,
which
was
good
for
me,
considering
I
was
getting
ready
to
pop
out
a
very
needy
little
human.
We’d
talked
about
names,
but
were
still
so
undecided.
We
knew
that
we
were
going
to
name
the
baby,
if
it
was
a
boy,
Marcus
Michael.
The
girl
names
were
a
little
more
tricky.
Stosh
liked
unique
names,
where
I
was
more
into
the
traditional
kind.
I
was
convinced
that
if
it
was
a
girl
we’d
just
call
her
Little
Princess,
since
we
couldn’t
agree
on
anything
else.
The
days
before
I
went
into
labor
were
filled
will
chaos.
My
mother
arranged
for
my
college
friends
to
come
to
town
for
a
surprise
shower.
Our
little
rancher
was
filled
with
so
many
people
that
one
could
hardly
get
around.
We’d
already
bought
so
much
for
the
baby,
so
naturally
the
child
had
everything
you
could
think
of
after
the
party.
I
was
so
grateful,
considering
that
for
a
while
I
thought
that
I’d
no
longer
have
a
family
or
anyone
to
lean
on.
Love
had
changed
everything
for
me.
I
had
been
right
to
follow
my
heart,
because
it
led
me
exactly
where
I
needed
to
be.
Destiny
Faith
was
born
on
a
Sunday
morning,
bright
and
early.
Stosh
came
up
with
the
name
one
night
while
talking
to
my
belly,
like
he
frequently
did.
We
fell
in
love
with
her
before
we
ever
met
her,
but
once
she
came
out,
and
we
saw
what
our
love
created,
we
realized
there
was
no
feeling
like
it.
We
were
a
family,
finally
after
being
kept
apart
for
so
long.
It’s
amazing
how
destiny
played
part
in
our
story.
That’s
why
he
wanted
her
to
have
that
name.
He
said
all
we
needed
was
a
little
faith.
Stosh
took
his
first
steps,
without
crutches,
when
Destiny
was
only
three
months
old.
We
called
it
a
miracle,
while
my
doctor
parents
said
it
was
just
his
body
healing
itself.
Whatever
the
case,
he
was
on
his
way
to
a
full
recovery.
While
Stosh
worked
during
the
day
and
went
to
physical
therapy
in
the
evenings,
I
started
a
web
design
business
out
of
our
house.
There
was
no
way
I
was
going
to
leave
my
little
princess,
so
I
took
my
degree
and
started
something
that
I
could
do
while
taking
care
of
her
and
my
family.
It
was
still
going
slow,
but
at
least
I
put
my
degree
to
use.
When
Destiny
got
older
I
could
branch
out
and
do
other
things.
Stosh
wasn’t
in
a
hurry
for
me
to
get
back
out
there.
If
he
had
it
his
way,
I’d
wear
dresses
and
have
dinner
on
the
table
at
five
every
evening.
He
loved
me
staying
home
with
him.
On
the
day
that
he’d
been
legally
separated
for
a
year,
Stosh
filed
for
divorce.
That
following
Saturday
my
parents
took
the
papers
to
my
sister
to
sign.
They
said
she
didn’t
hesitate.
Two
months
later,
we
were
at
the
courthouse
making
things
official.
For
us,
it
was
just
a
piece
of
paper,
but
it
was
more
when
it
came
to
our
daughter.
It’s
funny,
looking
back,
I’d
never
saw
a
way
for
us
to
be
together
and
be
accepted
by
both
of
our
families,
but
it
was
happening.
My
sister
was
where
she
belonged.
One
could
only
hope
that
she’d
mess
up
and
not
be
granted
an
early
release.
My
life
was
too
perfect
to
have
to
worry
about
her.
Some
nights
it
still
hurt,
though.
I’d
had
so
many
memories
of
us
as
little
girls.
I
don’t
know
when
that
exact
moment
happened
where
love
turned
to
resentment.
It
didn’t
even
matter.
I
had
beautiful
memories
of
me
and
my
twin
sister.
There
was
a
time
when
we
were
like
one
person.
I’d
never
forget
that,
even
after
the
Hell
she
put
us
through.
Somewhere
in
that
messed
up
mind
was
that
little
girl
that
sang
songs
with
me,
braided
my
hair
and
cuddled
under
the
covers
with
me
during
a
thunderstorm.
I
often
wondered
if
she
thought
about
those
moments.
Had
she
forgotten
that
special
bond
that
only
we
could
have
shared?
Did
she
forget
that
we
were
always
supposed
to
be
best
friends?
As
much
as
I
hated
her,
my
heart
wouldn’t
let
me
forget
that
I
still
loved
that
part
of
Ivy.
She’d
always
be
my
sister
and
share
my
face.
It’s
just
a
shame
she
didn’t
share
my
heart.
Things
would
have
been
so
different
if
she
had.
At
the
end
of
the
day,
my
life
was
where
it
was
always
supposed
to
be.
I
was
Stosh’s
wife
and
we
had
a
beautiful
daughter.
If
everything
happens
for
a
reason,
like
I’ve
always
believed,
I
guess
karma
played
a
part
in
everything.
Just
looking
at
my
little
girl
proved
that.
She
was
our
world
and
we’d
spend
our
whole
lives
keeping
her
safe.
Epilogue
2
years
later
The
alarm
hadn’t
gone
off
yet,
but
we
felt
someone
climbing
into
bed
with
us.
Ever
since
we’d
gotten
her
that
big
girl
bed,
our
little
two
year
old
thought
it
was
fun
to
wake
us
up
as
soon
as
she
saw
daylight.
As
I
rubbed
my
eyes
and
contemplated
looking
at
the
alarm
clock,
I’d
made
the
decision
that
I
was
going
to
put
cardboard
on
her
windows
to
fool
her
into
thinking
it
was
always
nighttime
in
her
room.
Her
little
smile
was
up
in
my
face
as
I
opened
my
eyes.
“Mommy,
yook!”
She
pointed
her
finger.
“I
got
boo
boo.”
“Show
Daddy.”
Stosh
rolled
over
and
smiled.
“Hi,
sunshine.”
I
climbed
out
of
bed
and
headed
to
the
bathroom.
There
was
no
use
trying
to
go
back
to
sleep.
Destiny
would
have
our
house
burned
down
if
we
ignored
her.
She
was
into
everything.
When
I
came
out
of
the
shower,
she
was
completely
naked,
standing
in
the
bathroom.
“Wipe
my
butt.”
With
my
body
as
clean
as
a
whistle,
I
walked
over
and
wiped
the
poop
from
my
daughter’s
butt.
I
had
to
be
thankful
she
was
already
potty
trained.
It
helped
that
we
were
home
with
her
so
much.
Stosh
came
into
the
bathroom
like
he
had
timed
it
perfectly.
I
rolled
my
eyes
as
he
pulled
me
into
his
arms.
“Are
you
ready
for
today?”
For
the
past
two
years,
my
parents
had
been
begging
me
to
go
see
my
sister.
I
declined
every
one
of
their
invites,
until
Stosh
finally
suggested
that
I
get
it
over
and
done
with
so
it
would
stop
being
so
annoying.
After
stewing
on
his
idea
for
nearly
a
month,
I’d
decided
to
appease
them.
Stosh’s
parents
were
going
to
watch
Des
so
we
didn’t
have
to
worry
about
her.
“I
guess.
I
mean,
I
really
don’t
want
to
see
her.
I
have
nothing
to
say.”
“According
to
your
parents,
she
has
something
to
say.”
I
walked
away
and
started
getting
my
clothes
on,
since
I
was
still
in
a
towel.
“I
don’t
even
care.”
He
started
brushing
his
teeth
while
Des
brushed
hers.
Once
he
finally
spit
and
rinsed,
he
leaned
against
the
counter.
“Yes,
you
do.
Somewhere
inside
that
sexy
body
of
yours,
there’s
this
curious
part
of
you
that
wants
to
know.”