Homer told me it was time to go out. He said I'd been wallowing in my own sadness and fright for the past month. Well, what do men know. But he took me out regardless. He said we were going to dinner at a restaurant uptown, away from Watershed Heights. So I get dressed up. I put on my heels, a nice dress, and the necklace Mrs. Speier gave me after I'd been working for her for ten years. I put on my coat and Homer whisked me out the door for a night on the town.

But we never made it out to the restaurant. We didn't even leave the neighborhood. Because on that night, the fountain in the middle of the roundabout was alive with flowing water oncemore. The fountain gurgled and rushed with water and energy. And suddenly, I found myself gravitating towards it. My foot lifted out of the heel as I slipped my toes into the water. The other shoe came off as well, and I laughed. The water felt cool and refreshing and so perfect on that warm night. The water splashed around my ankles and for the first time, I felt hope.