There she sits on her couch. Her couch. A couch that belongs solely to her and nobody else. Covered in a soft blue slipcover and blankets and quilts. This couch was not new by any stretch of the imagination. It was a hand-me-down from her best friend. It was given to her with love. This was the best couch ever. Its cushions are so soft, the arms making perfect pillows for a mid-afternoon nap. This couch was lumpy and bumpy just like her. Soft and fluffy. Her couch sits in front of a bank of windows that she always likes to keep open. Being in an attic her windows overlook her neighborhood. Once upon a time she had to share this view with someone but now it is all hers. The sun pouring in, a gentle breeze tickling her neck. These windows now belonged only to her. She could stare out of them and daydream all day if she so chose to. The paint was chipping off the frames and one of the screens was bent from her pesky cat trying to escape one night but that is what made these windows so beautiful to her. They were not perfect. They were aged and had character. They had been here for so long. This house is over 150 years old. These windows had seen things. Had seen many changes in this community. Everything about her apartment was old, from the beloved couch to the threadbare wood floors. Her apartment had been through centuries. She would sit and close her eyes and try to picture who had come before her. Who had looked out these windows. Who had walked these floors. Who had made sweet passionate love in this very room. Who had cried themselves to sleep because of a broken heart. This old apartment had so many stories to tell. So many secrets. This is why she loved her place so much. It was her sanctuary. She sometimes felt as old as her apartment. As broken and worn as everything within its walls. She had been through so much in her short life. Laughter, love, death, heartache. Her life was almost always in constant chaos. But her she sits. Still alive. Her heart, though broken, was still beating. Still seeing, still hearing, still breathing.
