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set his head on his paws, then waited, and waited, and waited. Again, he was a mere prop: the watchdog used to facilitate tonight’s little fantasy.

CHAPTER NINE
    The school hallways buzzed with excitement, brimming over with parents and students, all dressed in their Sunday best. Little girls still wore pretty dresses, but most of the older girls wore skinny-legged pants, glittery tops, and sparkly shoes with high heels they could barely walk in. To Lindsey’s eyes, far too much skin could be seen. Ignoring the dress code and feeling like rock stars, they looked ready to put on a show. No one mentioned that they looked like ten-year-olds playing dress-up.
    “Thirty minutes till show time!” came the announcement over the intercom.
    Lindsey’s classroom phone rang, and she picked it up.
    “Mrs. Sommerfield? Sorry to bother you, but there’s a gentleman in the office that needs to see you for a minute. He said it was very important.”
    Lindsey glanced at the restless children. “I’ll be right there,” she said, somewhat annoyed. This was bad timing.
    She stepped into the office, curious. A man stepped toward her. “Mrs. Sommerfield?”
    “Yes?”
    “I have some important documents for you. Good evening.”
    Then he was gone. A dark, nauseating sensation spread over her, like black storm clouds taking over a blue sky. She peeked into the manila envelope until she saw official looking seals and the word “Divorce” in the title, then she closed it again.
    She was barely aware of what she was doing as she placed one foot in front of the other, heading toward the cafeteria. Young, high pitched squeals of “Miss Lindsey! Miss Lindsey!” went unnoticed. Then the house lights went out, the stage lights went up, and the principal began her opening speech. When she was done, the audience clapped, school children resumed their chatter, babies squealed and cried, and parents tried to quiet the younger children around them.
    Lindsey withdrew into the depths of her personal suffering, and that was not a good place to be. Her head swam, her ears seemed to be stuffed with something, and her eyes blurred with unbearable visions of Anthony and Shawna together. Then Laura was there, holding her hand, leading her from the school. The five-mile drive home was quiet. Lindsey vaguely heard Laura’s voice, but she could make nothing of what her friend was saying. Without a word, she handed Laura the divorce papers.
    So it really was over. Anthony was gone for good. Shawna, the young, beautiful stripper, had won.
    Laura brought Lindsey inside, helped her get into a comfy set of sweats, then lit the fireplace. Once her friend was settled in, she brought her a glass of wine.
    “Lindsey, talk to me. I can’t leave you like this.”
    “Why not? Anthony did.”
    Laura jerked back, and Lindsey wished she hadn’t said that. But it was out, and she couldn’t do anything about it.
    “Hey friend, don’t start comparing me to that…‌Anthony.”
    Lindsey shook her head. “Please go, Laura. I just want to sleep right now.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “I’m sure.”
    “Judy’s going to come by as soon as she can leave the students.”
    “Tell her not to bother. I’ll be all right.”
    Laura stood, resigned. “Well, if you say so. But call me if you need anything. Otherwise, I’ll call you first thing tomorrow. We’ve got some final vacation details to work out, you know.”
    Under normal circumstances, Lindsey would have enjoyed the mild buzz she was getting from the wine and the warmth of the fire, but not tonight. She didn’t want to be comfortable. She grabbed the bottle of wine and unsteadily, almost catatonically, shuffled out to her backyard, out into the chilly night. She slid onto one of the cushioned patio loungers and stared up at the twinkling, distant stars. They were just another enemy in her life tonight. They, too, had betrayed her. How many times has she wished upon a star?
    The mere thought of Anthony and