Tracy

She was lovely.  Glowing blonde hair and an upturned mouth with pale grey eyes.  A volunteer, she came to listen.  Crossing her coltish legs, she would roost on the carpet, nodding in sympathy.  The day I broke, she pulled me in tight.  I noticed the marks when she lifted her sleeve to dry my tears.  When she was four, her mother had turned on the burners and laid her bare arms across.  Fortunately for me, she gave love another chance.