Chapter 24: The New Beginning
I started a charity.
Not for show. Not for attention.
For real.
I wanted to help women who were going through what I went through.
The abuse. The gaslighting. The fear.
I set up shelters. Counseling. Legal aid.
Rosa helped.
My father donated.
My mother volunteered.
It felt good.
It felt right.
One night, I was at a fundraising gala.
A man walked up to me.
He was tall. Kind-eyed. Wearing a rumpled suit.
"Mrs. Escalante?"
"Yes?"
"I'm Alex. I work at one of the shelters. I just wanted to say thank you. For everything you're doing."
I smiled.
"Thank you for being there."
He smiled back.
"Maybe we could grab coffee sometime? Talk about the work?"
I hesitated.
"I don't know if I'm ready for—"
"Just coffee," he said quickly. "Nothing more."
I laughed.
"Okay. Coffee."
We went for coffee.
Then dinner.
Then more coffee.
And somewhere along the way, I started to feel something.
May you like
Something I hadn't felt in years.
Hope.
