Read Relentless Hope (Resilient Hearts) for Free Online

you sorry for? It’s not your fault. Your brother sounds insane. And I am not leaving you alone there to get a cab and find a hotel on your own. I’ll come get you, as soon as I can. Be ready in about fifteen minutes.”
    “No Mia. I don’t want to ruin your date. Plus, you should probably not come around here right now anyway. He might be waiting around.”
    “I’ll ask Kevin to come with me. Don’t argue. Just get ready quickly. Let me get off the phone, so I can talk to Kevin and we can leave.”
    Before I have a chance to respond, she hangs up the phone. I feel guilty about dragging Mia into this, but truthfully, I am very relieved that she is not abandoning me. The idea of having to get a cab and finding a hotel on my own at this time of night terrifies me.
    Before long, Mia is opening the door and walking in, followed by a tall handsome guy. She introduces me to Kevin quickly and rushes to her room to get an overnight bag.
    Once we are safely inside Kevin’s car, they tell me they have decided we are going to both spend the night at Kevin’s place. Before I have a chance to refuse, Kevin jumps in, “I’ll sleep on the coach. You two can have my bed. After what Mia told me about your brother, there’s no way I am leaving you two on your own tonight. If you don’t feel comfortable at my place, we can go to a hotel, but I would get a room next to you two to be close by.”
    Kevin’s words warm my heart as I realize there are still some good men out there, even if all of the men in my life have turned out to be douchebags. I think about Kevin’s offer and realize that I don’t have any energy left to argue. The offer is too good to pass up anyway. So instead of arguing, I thank them for being so kind to me and let them take me to Kevin’s place.
     
     
    As I lie exhausted in bed at Kevin’s apartment, I cannot stop my mind from worrying where my life will take me from here. I recognize that at the moment, my main objective is survival, but my options for doing so are limited.
    I cannot stay at Mia’s place any longer. It would put both Mia and I in danger, and I simply cannot risk that.
    There is also no way I would stay at Kevin’s apartment. Mia is one of the nicest girls I know and I am sure she would say that she is fine with me staying here. She may even suggest it, but I would not put myself in a position that might make my only friend in the world uncomfortable.
    Given that I don’t have any other friends at the moment, the only option left for me is to go to an inexpensive hotel. I probably have enough money to last me for about a week at a cheap hotel.
    That means I have less than a week to find myself a place to stay and a job to pay for it. Even though I have never done those things, and I am completely on my own in figuring out how to do them, I try not to let the enormity of the tasks ahead of me or the complexity of what they involve frighten me. Instead, I resolve to try as hard as possible and do whatever it takes to make it on my own.
    I promise myself that I will come back from this. That I will not only survive, but also thrive. I tell myself that I am a fighter and a survivor and I will make it work. This positive way of thinking is the only way I can prevent fear from taking over and crippling me. I cannot afford to let fear in. Instead, I have to focus on hope. Hope that I’m strong enough to take this on. Hope that things will somehow work out in the end. And hope that happiness will one day find its way back to my life.
    As the darkness of the night slowly gives way to the first rays of dawn, I find myself still awake, unable to let sleep in. But instead of surrendering to my fears and anxiety, it is the sliver of hope slowly making its way into my heart that I choose to focus on.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    I slowly make my way to the old squeaky bed and collapse on the mattress before my knees give out, as I feel every last bit of the resolve and determination I had five days ago