The Unbreakable Widow

o uniformed officers, a man and a woman, wa

floor, her fake sobs replaced by a stunned, horrifi

edit, was a rock. He gave

wick," he told the officers. "As I approached the door

ed to me. "Ma'am, do yo

without hesi

It was a misunderstanding! A famil

e, Debra. In front of my daughter. In front of

silent room. As they led him out, he looked at me, h

that before you raised you

arks department-a menial but stable position they had pulled strings to get him. An assault char

made its way to his supervisor. Two days later, a letter arrived: Wes

apology had to be as

the local paper's gossip columnist. Not

y, knelt on the front porch. Not inside the house, but outside, where

he mumbled, his eyes fi

id, standing in the door

he said, louder this time. "For hitting y

I pro

gize for trying to steal your mone

ngle word of comfort. I just turned and closed the door in his face,

iliated, and his reputation in our small town was in ta

ere still a long way from broken. And