PICKING UP THE PIECES

by Barry North

I

The father of the girl's aborted baby is trying to fuck her in the abandoned house. She is backing up and pushing his hands away, saying, "No, no, not like this," thinking she is talking about his advances.

II

Three years later, blessed with a child and a good husband, she suddenly recognizes it as a watershed moment, and realizes she had really been talking about her life. And, like a soldier reliving a Pyrrhic victory, she weeps in celebration.
     END
   

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