Author’s Note:  I encourage you to visit Classic Alliance’s April 12th Anniversary Page to read all the entries for this challenge and see some of Carole’s amazing art work.    

April 12^th was the worst day of my life.

Before that day I had never been physically hurt, not really. Sure, accidents, but beaten? Kicked? Slashed? No, not those…

I’ve seen more than my share since then. As Edie said, ‘a lot of guys beating up on a lot of girls in this city,’ but me? I’d lived a charmed life up until that night.

The pain was awful, astonishing and confounding, but the worst – feeling my body give way, skin ripping, ribs moving away from where they were meant to be, knowing things were breaking that couldn’t be fixed quickly or easily…

…thinking that I was going to die.

And the truth? When the black took me, I was okay with it. At least the agony was over.

And then you found me…

How the universe conspired for me to be thrown there and for you to be there to catch me up, to take me home, to help me start the long road to fixing what was damaged, I’ll never know, but I will never stop giving thanks.

You saved me and you keep on saving me.

You love me for the flawed person I am. You challenge me and make the world new with your words, your intelligence.

If I hadn’t been at that party, we might never have met. The joy of you balances the pain.

I love knowing you, belonging to you, and despite everything, all the heartache, it was worth it.

April 12^th was the best day of my life.