Daniela Dimitrova

The Half Penny

Darlene walked through the door with a heavy feeling in her chest. The house was empty and dark. She couldn’t believe that her grandma Dorothy was really gone. Dorothy raised Darlene since she was just 9 years old after her parents got killed by a drunk unlicensed driver on their wedding anniversary. They were on their way to the airport for a romantic trip to Paris... Even though she was just a child, Darlene was old enough to know what had happened and it broke her heart forever. She only had her grandmother for most of her life and loved her more than anyone in the world. Losing her was truly devastating. The past few years had been a series of hardship and misfortune for Darlene. She was in the middle of a divorce after being married for 6 years. She also lost a child to a stillbirth a couple years back. Darlene sank deeply in depression, making her unable to work, so she left her job as a school principle.