A Face They Nearly Lost
The last moment in front of the mirror seemed oddly secondary once the change was finished. Yes, there was a healthy smoothness to her hair that she hardly recognized. Her lips did indeed curve naturally once more; they were no longer tense or split with embarrassment. Yes, there was more than gray tiredness on her face. However, the true shift wasn’t immediately apparent. She stood higher than she had in years, and it was evident in the way she took a deep breath. Her shoulders did not curl inward; instead, they relaxed. The way she gazed at her own image without recoiling, without saying sorry, without trying to figure out what was wrong.
The world felt different as soon as she stepped outdoors, not because the street had changed but rather because she had. She didn’t look for places to hide in the darkness. She didn’t plan her escape routes as soon as she entered a room. She proceeded as someone who at last felt accepted back into the human race. The weight she had been carrying for so long didn’t go away; instead, it changed, reminding her that she had persevered long enough to deserve this moment rather than crushing her. Continue reading…
