Covering the cold, dimly lit street was a blanket of snow, which wasn't a strange thing in Nashville, Tennessee. It was a well-known fact no one moved across the bridge during this time of the night, especially on a snowy day.  Only fools would dare.

However, Andre found himself in that position as he drove down the Korean War Veterans Bridge. He was trying his best to concentrate when the dramatic whine of his dog broke through the silence of the night.

"Come on, girl. I told you, just a few more minutes and we'll be home, it's too cold to pee outside at this time of the night," He repeated for the fifth time since they left the veterinary clinic half an hour ago.

Why did it have to be so far? He nearly shouted in frustration but paused as he remembered that they had stopped for a late-night snack.

Suddenly, Hope snapped her head up and sniffed the air, an act she carried out only when she sensed impending danger. Andre saw her through the rearview mirror and groaned, hoping she would leave it at that. They lived on the island and it was getting late.

His job was to focus on the road. And the road he would—

Andre screamed as he hit the brakes, the car screeching to a halt. Caught off guard, the action knocked the air out of his lungs as he lurched into the steering wheel. Struggling to catch his breath, he slowly raised his head as tried to get his bearings.

The amber color of his headlights shone down the bridge casting a glow on the disheveled figure in front of his car.
Figure?

Lord, he had nearly killed someone.

Unlatching his belt, he grabbed his grey jacket from the passenger seat and slid it on before stepping out into the cold night. He couldn't add catching a cold to the list of his problems.

Pocketing his keys, Hope's incessant pawing at the window of the back seat drew his attention to her. Shaking his head, he decided not to let her out till he had examined the figure in front of his car.

As his boots trudged on the sleek road, Andre tried to regulate his breathing in order to hide his fear. A sound came behind him and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a big mass of ginger fur, Hope, jump out through the window and he watched as she ran over to the nearest opening to pee.

"Uh, no! Don't! In the car, now!" He ordered, but his warning fell on deaf ears as Hope raised her hind legs to relieve herself.

The cold wind knifed through him, tussling his hair and jacket as he ran to where the dog was. "Hope!" he screamed. "You get back into the car now, Hope!"

Deep down, Andre knew she wasn't going to listen, that he was only trying to buy time and evade meeting the person he nearly hit. Straightening himself, he took a deep breath and carefully walked till he was a few steps ways from the figure who was clad in a dark blue overcoat and black flat-heeled boots.

Upon a closer inspection, Andre realized it was a female who had inky black hair that swept around her face, partially obscuring her features. Her posture was as rigid as ice and the coat flapped around her like the wings of a bird.

Hope cocked her head to the side trying to study her and then padded over to Andre's side to watch her. Andre's brain went into overdrive as he tried to think of what to do to the stranger who sat unmoving like a block of ice.

The figure sat like she couldn't feel anything or had shut out the outside world and was now trapped in a world of hers.

Cautious, he grabbed her shoulders and knelt into the snow, his action followed by a crunching sound. Yet, the figure didn't move.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you. You just came out of nowhere and—"

Like a crack in ice, her face slightly turned at his voice, allowing him to he see her features. She had long eyelashes that framed the dull eyes that turned to him, dainty nose that stood on top of thin lips and sharp and hollow cheekbones.

His first thought was that she was emaciated but he kept it to himself and tried to apologize.

"I'm really sorry. You will need to get up let me take you to the—"

"No."

Slightly taken aback, he blinked. "No? Miss, you might have sustained an injury and you need to get checked. It's best if you—"

"No!" She screamed this time, shrugging Andre's hands off and curling her arms around her knees. "I'm fine. I refuse to go to any hospital. Now, leave me alone."

Andre thought it through and weighed his options. He could leave her here and go home, only that he would never forgive himself for that, or he could try to find out how she got here and then take her back home. Her shoulders trembled from the cold and she hugged herself tighter.

Sighing, he made up his mind. "Okay, if you say so. But what are you doing here at this time of the night?" He asked her as his eyes swept over the deserted bridge, the twinkling city lights creating an amazing backdrop against the bridge. And for the second time that night, he wondered what she was doing out at this time.

"Are you lost? I can help. Just give me a name and an address. We can—"

With a speed that could give her a whiplash, she raised her head and her icy blue eyes snapped to his, cutting him short. "I told you I'm fine. And no, you can't help," she said muttering the last sentence under her breath. Staring absent-mindedly at something behind him, a faraway look clouded her eyes. "No one can."

Andre nodded thoughtfully.

"I see. But if you continue like this, it might be too late for anyone to help. Only someone who has a death wish will tread this path in the dark. And I'm sure you..." Andre said, letting his voice trail off as he watched her unbothered countenance. Suddenly, a harsh wind howled past them, Hope barked and Andre felt scales falling from his eyes, as realization struck him.

"Suicide! You are planning on killing yourself."

A blood-curdling smile grazed her lips before she went back to staring at the lights. "Now you know. Shouldn't you be leaving now, so you can let me die in peace?"

He looked at her in a different light now, noticing the hidden pain in her voice. "Why?"

Silence.

Normally, in tense situations like this, he would apologize profusely and quickly walk away. Handling temperamental women was not his strong suit but something about her held him back. Maybe it was the way she wrapped her thin frame with her overly large coat or the far-away expression of despair on her gaunt face or it was because she reminded him of himself.

Something was pushing him to her, it was so strong that he did not know when the next words came out of his mouth.
"Why? Why would you want to commit suicide? You don't look a day over eighteen."

With her features remaining stoic, she turned her head to the side, facing him. "Why are you asking me why?! Ever lost a family member?"

Andre made to speak but the look she gave him told him to shut it.

"Ever lost a twin that was so damn perfect you were overshadowed your whole life? That when she died, everyone — including your parents — forced you to be like her, not even caring whether you just want to be you? And at the slightest act of rebellion, judge you and shut you out?"

Running her hand through her hair frantically, she continued her rant.

"Oh and finally, you find your peace, the one thing that provides you a way of escape from the world but it costs you your admission into college, your whole fucking life goals!" She yelled.

Lowering her voice to a deathly whisper, she continued. "If you haven't, then don't talk. Because to me, it's all worth committing suicide."

Tearing his gaze away from her icy orbs to his car, Andre wondered how these were enough reasons to commit suicide.

"It isn't." He muttered.

Her eyes twitched as she cocked her head to the side, trying to comprehend what he just said.

"W-what?" She stuttered out confused.

He turned his attention to her, his honey-brown eyes sparkling with a myriad of emotions.  "It isn't. But first, you need to stand up, it's freezing out here. Just to satisfy my conscience, get into the car. Hear me out, then you can decide whether you want to live or not."

She folded her arms, knowing whatever he would say won't change her mind.

"Yeah, sure," She said hesitantly.

Hiding his smile behind a satisfied nod, he grabbed her frail shoulders, and they slowly made their way towards the car. Hope bounded after them but got in first, making herself comfortable in the back seat.

Letting out a deep breath, he ushered her into the passenger seat, shut the door and then walked over to the driver's side. The moment he got in, he switched on the heater and locked the doors.

She flinched but said nothing.

He switched off the headlight which left the car shrouded in part darkness. The light coming from the lone street lamp illuminating the road was enough to let them see each other's faces. Leaning on his headrest, Andre began his story.

"When I was about eight, I got involved in a fatal accident that took the most important people in my life. The accident was the inception of horrible things in my life."

Furrowing her eyebrows, she wondered where he was getting to, after all, she couldn't care less if he had died in the accident. Nevertheless, she kept quiet.

Andre continued, the feelings of nostalgia hitting him as he struggled to prevent the memories from overwhelming him.

"I used to stay home with a babysitter whenever my parents were at work. At first, it started with her bathing me. It was okay, it was in her job description and she was allowed. She moved on to dressing and sometimes undressing in front of me. Gradually, she guided me to caressing certain parts of her body." A rueful smile crossed his lips. "It didn't make sense to me at that time but still, something didn't feel right."

"One snowy day, I mustered up courage to tell my parents about it in the car on the way back from school. When I did, Mom screamed, shaking her head she kept on muttering in disbelief. ‘No, it's a nightmare,’ she said, ‘the babysitter could never do that.’ Dad was fuming and then he increased the speed. The car skidded across the ice as my dad lost control of it."

Andre shut his eyes briefly as he tried to block out the memory. "They died. I survived with some bruises and scars, nothing that couldn't be fixed. I had lost my parents who meant the whole world to me. My uncle took me in and when I thought that nightmare was over, another began.  At first, it was a touch. Then a slight linger. Ever been molested by a relative before?" Andre asked, abruptly stopping his story.

She slowly shook her head, curiosity spiking up in her blank heart, like the sun after days of darkness. "No."

"Good for you. It was pure horror. My uncle, someone I trusted, my Dad's only brother. He was the only surviving relative that took me in. Every single night, he raped me, touching me in places I should never be touched. When I attempted to complain, he threatened me with the fact I had nowhere else to stay and no one would ever believe me."

A cold smile crept up Andre's lips. "And he was right. No one did. After ten years when I was eighteen, I got admission into a college far away from him and never moved back there. I met Hope on my way back from a therapy session, on a rainy night. The streets were still glistening with water that night and there she was under a soggy carton, a cold and lost puppy who, despite the heavy rain that fell, found somewhere to hide. I felt an instant connection with her since she reminded me so much of myself. I named her Hope."

On hearing her name, she gave a loud bark, shoved her head between the chairs to rest on Andre's lap and nuzzle them.

"Y-you went through that?" she stuttered, wondering how someone could go through that and still be happy and carefree, he didn't even shed a tear while speaking.

"Yeah." he quipped as he bent over to ruffle Hope's ears. "Good girl."

"That was about seven years ago. Sometimes, I can't believe it's been six years since I got Hope. How time flies," he said to her.

With a lazy smile on his face, he faced the dark stranger who looked so frail. "But if you think you still want to commit suicide, sure, go ahead. You might want to lose the clothes, though, they look quite expensive and the weather would make it faster but I really hope you make the decision to live. You have such a good and long life ahead of you. Don't allow the words of people snatch that away from you."

With that, he unlocked the doors. "You are free to go. It's your choice to live."

Outside the car, light snow began to fall. Andre stared at her as she bit her lip and stared out the window. Only the whistling sound of the heater and their breath filled the silence within the car.

Fumbling with her fingers, the lady thought of everything she had gone through, what her parents' reaction would be if they find out. Their expression would create holes in her heart, deeper holes than any bullet can create in a body.

Drawing in a deep breath, she made up her mind. "Thanks for everything, but no." She said with a shaky voice as she pulled open the door. Teeth chattering, she got out and shut the door.

Andre stared frozen in shock.  He had thought she would be sensible, but then again it was her choice. He'd tried. Turning his attention to the wheel, he inserted in his keys and revved the engine.

As he made to move, she suddenly lunged in front of the car, screaming. Perplexed, Andre watched as she stood up, her arms spread wide, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Wait!" Snow had coated her jackets and hair. "I'm not sure if I want to live yet but I want to try," She whispered softly, her words tugging at his heart. "If not for me, for he or she."

Following her gaze, Andre's eyes drifted lazily down to her hands wrapped around a barely noticeable bump.

Good lord, she was pregnant!

Bewildered, he tumbled out of the car, righted himself, and slowly walked over to her shrouded figure. A smile crept up his lips when the moment he reached her, she put her arms around him in an embrace. Her shoulders began to tremble as tears ran down her cheeks in torrents. She wept for loss, regretting all the times she spent high on drugs and running away from home, and for this stranger who had to go through all he did.

After a while, when she had calmed down, she unlatched herself from him.

"How about I drive you home?" he asked drying her tears. "I'm not a creep, I assure you," he joked, raising his hands in mock surrender.

She laughed through her tears, feeling like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. It was different from the first time he heard her laugh, it sounded light and genuine compared to the flat hollow sound he first heard from her and he couldn't help but smile down at her.

"It's beginning to snow heavily and I just want to make sure you get home safely but if you aren't comfortable, I can call 9-1-1. They'll get you home." He continued with a more serious expression.

"It's fine, I'll go with you." She quickly replied. Having 9-1-1 take her home would mean her parents would know of this night and she didn't want that. She eyed him skeptically, fervently hoping he wasn't a stalker. She had already taken him up on his offer after all, so did it even matter?

"Okay then, c'mon," he said, interrupting her thoughts while motioning to his car. She silently followed and got in.
He revved the engine for the second time that night and he began to move.

"Your address?" He asked.

With her head bent, she gave him the address of a hospital. Andre didn't even know what to say. Here was the girl who had valiantly refused to go the hospital earlier, giving him the address to one.

"Are you sure?" He asked confusion lacing his tone.  Hesitating as another thought flashed through his mind, he put two and two together.

"Wait! You want to abort?" He asked again, pressing the breaks suddenly while bringing the car to a screeching halt.

She had a blank expression, her posture clearly indicating that she wasn't going to say anything.

Wordlessly, they drove through the icy night, each with different thoughts on their mind, wondering how they got to this point and how to present their questions to each other.

"What's your name?" They both inquired simultaneously. Andre let out a low chuckle while she remained silent.

"I'm Andre. And you are?"

"Zuri." She let out softly, transferring her gaze to the window of the car.

"You said you do drugs, yeah? For how long now?" He asked. He didn't recall her saying but he figured with her looks that she did.

Zuri breathed heavily but forced herself to answer, "Five years. I got pregnant few months ago."

He was shocked, but kept a neutral face, "Your parents aware?"

"Nope. They would be so pained if they knew," she said, laughing without humor and Andre knew he had to change his line of questioning.

But he didn't. "Are you planning on telling them?"

He couldn't see her expression but he saw the way she stilled. "Yes, my dad first, that's why I'm headed to the hospital."

Andre let out a huge sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you are—"

"The only thing I want to know is how you overcame the trauma? How did you not give up after all those years?" Zuri asked cutting him short. Her bland sapphire eyes pierced his, the moment she swiveled to face him.

Turning to face her as they came across a red light, Zuri looked to him like he was about to offer her water, having spent hours wandering in a desert. He took a deep breath and answered her question honestly. She probably wouldn't believe him but it was the truth.

"I made up my mind not to give up," he said.

"Well, that isn't very helpful," Zuri grumbled, turning her face to look out the car window.

"But its the truth—"

Her eyes pierced his again. "You think I want to give up, don't you? You think I don't have willpower, isn't it?" She sobbed, interrupting him. "I don't want to give up but this heaviness, the burden I'm bearing, weighs me down. Every time I decide to stay afloat, my parents pull me down with their unrealistic expectations. Every damn time, they throw it in my face that I'm not good enough, that I'll never be like my sister."

When he said nothing she continued, "On days like that, I wonder what the point of all this is? I wonder if there's a reason to live if I'll never be what is expected of me? And to think what is expected of me is for me to become my perfect dead sister." She screamed; tears had streamed down her cheeks at this point.

Realizing that she was still in front of a stranger, embarrassment crept up her face. She darted her eyes away from his warm honey-colored eyes and looked out the window. He had parked the car somewhere in between her rant and she didn't notice.

How pathetic was she?

"Did your sister love you while she was alive?" He asked after a long silence.

Zuri turned to look at him, wondering where he was going with that question but she answered it anyway. "Yes, we were inseparable while she was alive."

"There you have it!" He exclaimed, a part of her wondering if he had gone mad.

Andre laughed when he noticed the quizzical look she was giving him, making her feel even more uncomfortable.

"What I mean is that the fact that she loved you is enough reason for you not to give up."

She tilted her head slightly to the side, confusion marring her features and he knew she hadn't quite understood what he meant yet.

"Out of all my troubles, I lost two of my parents. You asked me how I overcame, well I overcame because I always kept them in mind. Every time I felt like I had had enough, I remembered them and the love they had for me. I knew they wanted me to have a good life. That pushed me to promise myself to never give up and grab the opportunity for a better life whenever it showed itself." He explained.

"So, you're saying I should use the love Zoe had for me as motivation to not give up?"

"Yes, exactly. You catch on fast."

"But how do I deal with my parents?"

"Leave them to me," he said.

Zuri looked at him wondering what he meant. She would have asked but he started the car and resumed driving. Somehow, she knew he wasn't going to elaborate.

Hope left the back seat and squeezed her way to the front to lay on Zuri's lap, reminding both of them of her presence.

"Hope!" Andre exclaimed.

"It's fine," Zuri quickly said, stroking Hope's back.

"Okay..." Andre drawled as he slowly turned his attention back to the road. "We still have a long way to go, you could catch a short nap if you want, and don't worry, you can trust me."

She mulled over his words as she stroked Hope's head, she had trusted him enough to enter his car, stroke his dog, and even hug him, she might as well just continue.

So, she nestled herself into the car seat and let the gentle noise of the tires sliding across the snow-covered roads lull her into sleep. Snapshots of her being carried, then harsh whispers followed by barks filled her mind as she tussled and groaned in bed.

Bed?

Suddenly, she sat up, covered in sweat. Attached to her arm, was a drip. The walls around her were whitewashed and she could smell the faint distinct smell of disinfectant in the air.

Her mind was upside down and she didn't know what to think. "Nurse! Dad! Mom! Anyone?"

Her parents walked in both wearing a look of disappointment on their faces. Arms laden with a large box. She knew. She just knew they had found out. But What happened last night? Sudden realization dawned on her as she figured Andre must have told them about the drugs.

Letting out a slow breath, she lifted her arms and covered half of her face. "Did you search my room?"

"Sweety, calm down."

"Mom, answer me!"

"We did." Her father answered instead. Motioning to the numerous packets that lay in the box in his arms. "I'm disappointed in myself. I wish I had run a test on you. I would have discovered the amount of—"

"Save it." She responded, holding her hand to cut him short. "Discharge me and get out of here."

Her parents' hearts broke as they watched their daughter in that state. Her father spoke up, "Zuri, your mother and I are sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" She asked cynically, watching as the two of them averted their eyes. "I said, sorry for what?!"

"I'm sorry it had to take a stranger to open our eyes to see how much we've wronged you, our daughter and how you feel about us, and our actions." Her mother explained, taking the initiative to lead the conversation.

"What's your sorry going to do for me?!" She shouted, her face had crumpled into a contorted mask and her eyes were glowing red in fury.

"It was horrible, hearing things like that from a stranger about our daughter, especially when he said you were pregnant. I have never felt more nervous and humiliated in my entire life. I'm sorry baby, I'm so sorry. I-I-" she blubbered, breaking into tears. Her father rushed to his wife's side to comfort her.

"That rat!!" Zuri exclaimed, ignoring her mother's breakdown. If they thought they were in pain, they should try living a day in her life.

"Your mother and I are taking a break from the company and enrolling for therapy full time." Her father said with misty eyes, when he spoke again, his voice has reduced to a low tremor. "We have been such horrible parents too and we want to change that. We love you, Zuri. And I'm so sorry if it ever felt like we didn't."

"You love Zoe, not me," Zuri whispered, refusing to look him in the eye, it was always a sore subject for her and a painful thing to admit.

"We loved Zoe, we still love her but we also love you Zuri, you're our child. We care for you more than anything in the world, believe us!"

"I don't believe you," She said with a defiant look in her eyes.

Her mother broke into another bout of tears, the pain of seeing her daughter like that being too much for her to bear.

"Then we'll keep saying it till you believe it. I love you, Zuri,” She said, assuring her daughter in between tears."

"I love you, Zuri." Her father chipped in, buttressing his wife's statement. "That's why—"

"Why what?" She asked, drilling her father with a cold deadly stare.

"We got rid of the fetus."

Her world came crashing down on her as she tried to assimilate the words that just came out of the mouth of the man she called her father. "You got rid of what?"

"I'm sorry, It's against ethics without the consent of the mother, but I-I stood in gap after inducing you into a disoriented state. I had to."

"No, no, you didn't. You didn't!" Zuri screamed. This was a lie, it had to be a lie. They were definitely lying to her.

"We did! That's why we'll go to therapy and you'll go to rehab. We need to change to be a happy family. Your dad and I need to deal with our grief over your sister, and how you turned out with all the baggage your father and I have dumped on you." Her mother explained, with tears streaming down her cheek, her cheeks were blotched and her voice was starting to crack.

"Are you mad? Are you both mad? Is this your idea of love?" She asked as she started to hyperventilate. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, crying for a child she never saw, never held.

Her father sighed, "I'm sorry but you don't have a choice, you need to go to rehab." He shifted his posture so he was now facing the men, who were waiting outside. "Take her away. I'll be in charge of her medical treatment. "

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I HATE YOU!" She yelled, furiously trashing her legs as the men dragged her away despite her screams.

"We'll call you every day! We love you!" Her mother called out, choking on her tears. She turned to her husband for comfort as she wondered if their daughter would ever forgive them.

•♦♦♦•♦♦♦•

And there they stood under flakes of crystal snow, arms wrapped around each other both having nothing yet something in common.

Two broken, yet not shattered souls.

Zuri ended her entry there. Her therapist had asked her to fill in what happened that fateful night she tried to kill herself. Mrs. Shubert had been asking her to make entries similar to this recently.

She said it would help her process her emotions and figure out how to deal with them. Zuri didn't understand what she meant by that, but she did know that it did her some good writing things down.

She read over what she had written and she thought about that night, about Andrea and his dog Hope. It was weird that she hadn't quite thought about them in what? A year?

It was a year! Yesterday had marked a full cycle around the sun since she decided to kill herself. And since she lost her child.

She wondered what the baby would have been like now.

Her heart still clenched whenever she thought of the how she discovered her baby's demise. She had just finished her therapy session with Mrs. Shubert, they had talked about that night and her parent's reaction to it.

Her parents.

They were still working on their relationship. It wasn't non-existent like before but it still wasn't good enough.

They were trying but for some reason, she wasn't quite ready to forgive them.

Her phone beeped, drawing her out of her reverie.

Shoot!

She had to meet up with the girls.

Grabbing her bag, she gave Mrs. Schubert a wave and called out as she walked to the door. "Till next week."

She had made the weekends a time for meeting up with a couple of friends she had made during rehab.

They had persistently preached the love of Christ to her in the past few months, today was their fifth outing together and she was highly looking forward to it.

But before that, she had to grab a couple of snacks and not to forget the Ice cream, her new favorite.

She hailed a cab and a few minutes later, she was in front of Gelatos.

A classy yet vintage cafe, one of the best, hastily she paid the cab driver and skipped through the tables that were placed outside, smiling at the strangers under the white vintage style umbrella and entered the cafe.

The bell dinged her entrance, but she ignored the stares and ordered two bags of chips and a cup of Vanilla ice cream. With a full hand and heart, she walked out of the cafe into the blissful weather, a cool wind whipped around her, ruffling her short hair.

As she walked towards the road, she thought of how things have changed and wondered whether Hope and Andre would have to.

"I'm sorry, my dog's not usually like this." A deep velvety voice said, she froze. She recognized that voice and those same words.

Andre!

She turned around and was pleasantly surprised to meet those warm honey brown eyes that had saved her a year ago. They looked so captivating in the sunlight.

But they weren't on her, they were on a young female who had a look of disgust on her face. "Fine. Just hold her tighter next time."

He nodded and ran his hand through his brown hair now streaked with blond highlights. "You are going to have to stop this, Hope."

The dog barely paid attention to his words as she sniffed around for another source of food. Her tail began to wag the moment she spotted Zuri. She gave a loud bark before breaking into a dash, with her mouth wide open and her tongue flailing out.

Groaning, Andre ran after her and stopped when she halted in front of a pretty woman. This time he held the leash even tighter. "I'm sorry, it's the sugar from the ice cream. It makes her hyper."

Zuri blinked, taken aback he didn't recognize her, even the dog had. "Andre, you don't recognize me?"

Andre slanted his neck slightly as his gaze roamed over the young lady in front of him, dressed in blue high-waist jeans and a white crop top that had the word smile printed in italics on it.

Nothing triggered in his mind. He was about to object, when he stared into sapphire blue eyes which were once hollow then it sparked.

The lady at the bridge.

Zuri!

Her physique had changed a lot, her cheeks were fuller now and her pale skin had a soft rosy glow.

Her once rough and unruly inky hair laid in neat waves around her heart-shaped face, catching the rays of the sun and he felt his mouth go dry.

He darted his eyes back to hers, which couldn't stop shining with happiness. "I can't believe it. Zuri!"

Her full lips curved up in a one-sided smile. "Ding, Ding. Right in the flesh."

"How? What? When?" He stuttered. He was at a loss for words and she threw her head back in laughter, the hollow tone had since vanished and had been replaced by a warm tinkling sound.

"I know, I get that a lot."

His honey-brown eyes sparkled. "I'm so glad to see you."

She made to reply when Hope barked reminding Zuri of her presence. Bursting into laughter, Zuri wiggled a bag of chips in front of the dog whose bark increased as she strove to snatch it.

Zuri asked silent permission from Andre who gave her the go-ahead. "She eats about anything."

The instant Zuri let go, Hope snatched it and ripped it apart.

A thought struck Andre and he voiced it out. "Your baby, where is it? I'm not good with math but I'm sure—"

"I lost it."

"Oh, umm...wow." Drawing in a deep breath, Andre steadied his voice. "I'm not going to ask how or what happened. Considering the fact you are glowing and didn't let the pain pull you under, I'm proud."

Zuri smiled and without thinking about it twice, wrapped her arm around his midsection. "Thank you."

Caught off guard, Andre stumbled a bit before reciprocating the hug. Zuri held her chips and ice cream in one hand, fervently praying the ice cream won't melt.

"What?"

"You heard me,"  Zuri replied as she nestled into his grey hoodie. Her voice came out muffled when next she spoke. "You and Hope have no idea how much you changed my life with just one encounter. You are like a big brother, highly annoying but very helpful."

Grinning, Andre patted her head and she let go of him, still keeping one hand around his waist, while his was on her shoulders. "When there's life, there's hope."

"Yeah, irrespective of what one goes through, don't give up, just focus on your goal." Zuri paused as she let go of Andre and calmly dropped the ice-cream on the table. "Even if it's to whack the head of the person who ratted you out to your family."

With that she hit Andre's head with the packet of chips.

Letting out a shrill scream, he tried to dodge her by running. She chased after him, not giving him breathing space. Sensing the excitement, Hope barked and joined in the chase.

"Looks like what doesn't break you makes you stronger," Andre said, trying to catch his breath.

"You got that right," Zuri agreed, slowing down.

The sun was shining overhead as they both grinned stupidly at each other, ignoring the stares they got.

No one had any idea what they'd been through.

AUTHORS: Lolade yompous and Stephanie selzy123.