The Strength Within

The Strength Within 2 Anna perched on the rickety farmhouse porch, her gaze fixed on the dark horizon, and wondered how she had become this person.Trapped and cowered by his anger and moods -she prayed for relief but knew only constant fear and dread.She watched the afternoon sun fall lower in the sky as the bank of soft, innocuous clouds began to turn vicious and threatening.Faith, family and persistent hope anchored life in their small Oklahoma town.But with her devotion wavering and estranged from her family, Anna found it impossible to dream.At first glance, the surface of Mason's façade showed no outward cracks or fissures, not even to the most perceptive eyes.But she knew.Bubbles of pain hid underneath an otherwise placid surface, like a silent geyser ready to erupt at the slightest provocation.In the beginning, Mason charmed her with his protective and attentive manners.But over the years, a slow and insidious march moved them towards the life they now occupied.And still, Anna could not fully fathom the control his demons possessed.However, what she did understand was that his time spent at the local saloon worsened things considerably.Its siren song enticed patrons to escape their tedious lives and drown their fears and doubts -heedless of the anger and violence it might spark.She waited each evening with trepidation, hopeful he would arrive from work with the clean scent of sweat and not the stale remnants of cheap bourbon.