Lifting the flute in mock toast, she downed the pale straw colored liquid in one gulp.

She’d never developed a liking for the tart, bubbly drink, but today its bitterness reminded her she was alive.

Without the bad, the good can’t be appreciated; without pain, there is no ecstasy; without rain, there is no growth.  And without wading through the lies, selfishness, and bullshit, she’d never have the gift waiting for her on the other side of the door.

“Hey darling, you ready?”

She put the glass down, opened the door, and proceeded down  the hall to the rest of her life, with a smile on her face and expectation in her heart.

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