Tears

Slowly Rebecca walked through the light rain early in the evening. Although it was after dusk, she could still see everything in the city because of the street lights that endlessly seemed to shine their cold light down on the streets of Manhattan.

Normally the street would be littered with youth, but not tonight. Normally, she would have taken a taxi home, but not tonight. No. Today, she was not in a hurry to get anywhere. A tear fell from her cheek, but no one would have noticed even if it wasn't raining. No one was around.

Slowly she climbed the concrete stairs toward her little apartment. She didn't even bother to look up. She didn't need to. She knew every nook and cranny in these old cold steps better than she knew the back of her own hand. Today, though, there seemed to be a few more cracks, a few more lines. She rummaged through her purse for the key. Finding it, she opened the door. No need to turn on the ling, she thought. She knew the way to her bedroom. She needed no light to walk that well that well beaten path.

As she walked to the middle of the room, she thought she heard a noise in the kitchen. She started to walk that way when the lights came suddenly on to reveal a large room full of people and decorations, and not more than three feet away, a three layered cake.

"Surprise!" came a sudden roar all around her.

Another tear fell from her cheek.