Something in the Past

Jackie’s life has not been an easy one. Growing up in the projects on the west side of Chicago is hard, and her life has been harder than most. The decisions she made just to survive were brutal, but they only made her survival all the more difficult to bear. Life turned Jackie into a crack-smoking predator who hunted her tricks down for money. Her life seemed destined for disaster, but she had no way of knowing that being sent to the state penitentiary would actually save her life. Once in prison, she worked hard to turn her life around so she might have the hope of a better life on the outside. Now released, she finds everything could come tumbling down around her, thanks to a simple mistake. Frustrated and afraid, she makes another bad decision; she might well turn back into the person she was before her arrest. After all, inside, she had a job, a bed, and three solid meals. Outside, she has fifty bucks and no hope. Now, the daughters she abandoned years ago may re-enter her life—not something she wants to see realized. Can she overcome the mistakes of her past—or even avoid the mistakes of her present? Jackie knows that some of the paths we walk down in life aren’t chosen.