Another Chance
by
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Introduction
It was raining outside and the intermittent thunder and lightening promised
that the weather would not change anytime soon. Molly wished that she
could settle down and relax until it was time to make her “buy” but that was
impossible. She knew better than to even try.
Realizing that it would probably be some time before she ate again, Molly moved into the kitchen to look for something to eat. As she switched on the light, the roaches scrambled across the counter. Two rats sat on the floor as she came in, but went running toward the open cabinet under the sink when the light came on. The sink was filled with dirty dishes with food dried and hardened on them. Molly glanced around her and could not remember the last time she had washed them. Garbage was overflowing onto the floor. She yanked open the refrigerator to look for something to eat. Finding only a half empty bottle of flat beer and a block of cheese covered with green mold, she quickly changed her mind about eating. It did not seem important anyway.
Molly flicked off the light switch and returned to the living room to wait. This room, like the kitchen, was covered with dirty dishes, empty beer cans, and overflowing ashtrays. It was sparsely furnished because the TV, VCR, stereo, clock and anything else of any monetary value had already been pawned, with the exception of the diamond ring that her grandmother had left to her.
As Molly waited for the call, she thought back over her life. So much of the time, she had felt lonely. It seemed as if she had spent every day trying to fit in somewhere and to make someone like her.
Molly had a twin sister, Carolyn, and two younger brothers, Matt and
On the other hand, Molly was quiet and reserved. She was the type of person that never volunteered for anything or sought out groups of people to befriend. After high school, she went to work for a paper and janitorial supply company in their accounting department.
A change in her personality began at a party Molly was invited to after work on
a Friday night in December. Molly was not asked to go out often because
she was quiet and withdrawn, keeping to herself most of the time.
However, this was a Christmas party and everyone in the department was invited.
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About the Book
Molly was high on drugs and alcohol when tragedy struck. When she rounded the corner in her truck, she ran over the six-year old child, Amy Lewis. At the time, Molly did not know what she had hit. Thinking it was probably a dog, she did not stop. When the news came on the next morning saying that Amy had died and that police were looking for a red pick-up truck, she knew. She had killed a little girl.
Molly was apprehended by the police and sent to prison for 15 years, convicted of vehicular manslaughter. While incarcerated, Molly’s life changed completely. With the help of a Drug Recovery Program, Molly lost the desire to use drugs. She met her sponsor, Marty, who began to take her on the journey of the 12 steps involved in recovery. One day at a time, Marty showed her how to live life on life’s terms and to deal with the overwhelming guilt and shame that she felt. Slowly, as Molly’s recovery progressed, she started to help other addicts in the prison.
After her release from prison, Molly and Marty lived together. They knew that they were more to each other than sponsor and sponsee. They were soul mates and were committed to spending the rest of their lives together. They decided to open a halfway house called Another Chance to help other women seeking recovery from their addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Molly’s life came full circle as she was forced to face Amy Lewis’ mother, Beth, again. Amy’s half-sister, Katie, had a drug problem and was court-ordered into the rehabilitation program at Another Chance. Without knowing Katie’s relationship to her past life, Molly became her chemical dependency counselor and sponsor.
Molly truly got “another chance” to right the horrible wrong that she had committed when she killed Amy Lewis more than 20 years before. She got an opportunity to do something to make it right. She knew that her Higher Power had put Katie into her life for this reason. No, she could never bring back that six-year old little girl, but she could help Amy’s sister recover from the horrors of addiction.
About the Author
Another Chance is Laurie Schick's first novel. Laurie is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic herself with 10 years clean and sober. She lives in a suburb of Fort Worth, TX and is active in the 12 Step Drug Recovery Programs which helped her learn to live without drugs and alcohol on a daily basis. Her primary purpose in her life is to sponsor women seeking recovery. It is this recovery that allowed her to reestablish relationships with her family and friends that she had damaged significantly during her own active addiction.
Laurie's life partner and soulmate died of cancer on March 30, 2006. This book is dedicated to her and to their life together.
Today Laurie's life is enriched by the time she spends with her biological family -- her mother, her two grown sons, her daughter-in-law, and her two grandchildren. She also keeps in close contact with her two brothers and their families. Her family of choice includes the people she works with in her 12 Step Recovery Program.