Location: Local park. Time: Noon, early afternoon. Status: Closed, @maddvanderbilt
After her little mishap a few weeks ago (or major bump in the road, as some would call it) and the stern talkings to from her friends, Madeline had attended more AA meetings in a month than she usually did but it had been exactly what she’d needed. One night of drinking easily could have undone every single thing she’d worked so hard for over the past three years, and she couldn’t let that happen. One of the women in the group had suggested she go running or find a gym to work out whenever she got overwhelmed with the urge to drink, and it had worked. Splendidly, even. So much so that she found herself running through the park twice a day, even if there was no urge to drink; the feeling of running was just exactly what she’d needed.
She was deep in her own thoughts, music blasting at a high volume in her airpods as she ran through the park before suddenly coming to a quick stop, a tiny body crashing into hers, a pair of arms wrapping around her legs in a hug. Looking down, the sight of her daughter had her breaking out into a big grin and she quickly pocketed her airpods, kneeling down to let her arms wrap around the four year old. “Bianca, mi amor,” she murmured, hugging her tightly before realizing that if Bianca was playing in the park, Madden wouldn’t be far behind. Clearing her throat, she pulled back from the hug, her hands cupping the tiny little face of her daughter’s as she playfully narrowed her eyes at her. “You can’t just run into people like that, you could’ve hurt yourself,” she scolded her, a playful tone to her voice before she looked up as Madden approached them, offering him a quick, courteous smile. “Hi.”