Warning:

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Tallie

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Slap! Slap! Slap! As I look up, glancing through the kitchen window above my sink, realized that though the rain, which had started earlier in the day, was now coming down in sheets. I sigh, moving to the sliding patio door, pressing my forehead against the cool glass, staring into the falling rain.

It had been raining for two days straight and the dismal weather matched my dreary mood. And it wasn't just a little sprinkle here and there, but some major downpours. While I love the rainy weather, this was becoming downright depressing.

Sighing again, returning to the bowl of lemon cookie dough, sitting on the kitchen counter, which I'd just whipped up. They were my favorites and I was in some desperate need of cheering up.

I grabbed the ice cream scoop and begin scooping up cookie dough, placing it on the two cookie sheets I had lying on the kitchen counter in front of me. The sweet scent of the cookie dough wafted up, bringing a smile to my face. Baking was something that always brought me happiness, ever since I was old enough to bake.

Once all the cookie dough was distributed on the sheets, I quickly popped them both in the preheated oven and wandered into the living room, gazing listlessly outside. One positive about today: it was my day off so if I wanted to sit around and brood, I could.

I reached for the remote, flickering on the TV, considering watching a movie, but after ten minutes of deciding that nothing was going to hold my attention, I flickered it off and sighed. Luckily the timer chimed so I jump up, hurrying to the kitchen and taking out the cookies, which by the way, smelled wonderful.

Just as I sat the second cookie sheet on the counter, a strange noise caught my attention. Frowning, I rush to the window and see a moving van pulling up to the curb. My eyes nearly pop out. Whoever was moving in on a day like today was either insane or brave.

Although I detest overly nosy people, I find myself watching as two men jump out of the moving van and hurry around to the back, unlocking the sliding door and start unloading boxes and furniture. I watch with great interest for a while, curious about my new neighbor.

Then...I spot her. A beautiful woman, long dark hair, pulled back into a long ponytail, tall and slender. She is walking with her head down, as though she's almost unaware of the heavy rain, cascading over her. I study her. She appears awfully...forlorn. My heart goes out to her.

I feel a strange sense of...kinship towards this unknown woman and find myself being gravitated even more. I study her a few moments longer before stepping away. I wonder briefly if she's been through some tragedy or like myself, has been pushed around by life one too many times to the point of eternal weariness?

I glance over at my freshly baked cookies and am struck by an idea. Smiling, I hurry to collect several of the cookies, finding an empty container, placing them inside and head for the door.

As I step out into the hallway of my apartment building, immediately I find myself staring into the woman's hollow, dark eyes and for the first time in forever, I feel a surge of hope.