Second Chances

    "Claudia!" A woman's voice called as I stepped out of the gate.

    I looked around and could see no one I recognized.

    "Over here!" she called again.

    Still, I could see no one.

    "Right here, Claudia!"

    I stopped walking and looked in every direction. Finally, I spotted Lila and her three children running through the terminal.

    "Lila? Kids! What are you doing here?" I couldn't believe my eyes. There stood my beautiful best friend and her amazing children as if they were waiting for me. I hugged Lila tightly and the kids grabbed me and hugged me even tighter. "We missed you, Aunt Claudia!"

    "Aw, I missed you guys, too! Now, what are you doing here?"

    Lila paused, and then told the kids to go sit on a bench and wait for us. Begrudgingly, they obeyed. I started to worry that something was wrong. Lila usually spoke freely in front of the kids about most subjects.

    "Claudia, are you all right?" she finally asked.

    "What? Oh my God! He didn't!" I should have known the minute I boarded the plane, Henry would call and make sure Lila was there to pick me up.

    "Well, yeah," she said. "He did. But listen, I've got to tell you--"

    "I can't believe this! He is so arrogant sometimes! He just knew I would be all upset and heartbroken and need rescuing somehow, didn't he?"

    "Claudia! Will you shut up and listen to me a minute? You get so carried away sometimes. Now, Henry did call me, but you have to know that he did not want me to come down here. In fact, he almost insisted that I didn't, so of course, you know me--I do exactly what people don't want me to do. Anyhow, that's not my point."

    Lila was talking fast, for which she had a great talent for doing, but now her sentences were running together without even a pause for me to chuckle at her sarcasm.

    "My point is that you need to let down whatever wall you're holding up between you and Henry and let yourself enjoy this."

    "Enjoy this?" I couldn't believe my ears. "Lila, I was fired. He doesn't trust my love for him. He has to control everything that happens. Yes, all right, I love him. I love him more than I ever imagined. And his family is great. But, Lila, I want it to be on my terms. I know that may sound crazy, but I have to feel like I walked in willingly, not by force."

    "Come on, kids!" Lila hollered. She turned again to me. "Let's get you back to our place. I've got to get home to get dinner started." She gathered the children and headed for the door.

    I sighed deeply and followed. My belief that coming home would somehow allow me to escape Henry's reach was certainly shattered. I wasn't sure that I wanted to truly be out of his reach, but I did need enough distance from those waters to catch my breath. Then I could decide if I wanted to dive in again.

    We loaded up the kids in Lila's van and as she drove us to their house, I told her all the details that I hadn't had time to cover in our phone conversation the day before.

    "Claudia, if you ask me, it sounds like the man is truly tying to take care of you. I think he's trying to make amends for all the heartache you went through. I mean, think about it. What other man would take the time to make sure you were so well taken care of in the midst of his father's funeral?"

    "Yeah, Lila, I get that. I understand that he is really good at taking care of me. I just wonder if it's for his sake or mine."

    Claudia Martin is an intelligent, career driven, and beautiful woman. She should have everything a girl wants. Instead, loneliness, heartbreak, debt and confusion surround her. Finally, Claudia has the opportunity to learn that the world is offering her everything she needs. All she has to do is let go, trust fate, and give love and life a second chance.