I woke up with a start the next morning. The kind of wake-up you have for a very important event, and you’re so nervous about it, you wake up before your alarm has a chance to squawk. In my case, I woke forty-five minutes before my alarm. My heart drummed on my chest, my hands were sweaty, and already there was an ache in my belly. The guilt from the night before and the worry from the morning to come clashed inside me, a...

I was asleep when he came into my room. It took me several minutes to realize what was happening. By then, my father had already undone his belt, dropped his jeans to the floor, and taken off his shirt. By the time he crawled into my bed and under the covers, I could smell the hint of his cologne emanating from him and was awake enough to understand that this was not a dream. My dad had just stripped down to his underwear...

“Beth?” the front desk assistant called. I stood with my bubbly smile, “Yes?” “The doctor will see you now,” the assistant said. I put my cell phone away in my small pink purse and exited the waiting area for the back halls of the doctor’s office. It was February 14th, and everything was decorated in this office. Mini stuffed bears sat on the assistant’s desk, the walls were covered in pink, red, and yellow hearts like a...