Eight years ago,
In the stillness,
Pearl-sized drops of rain pattered on the window early in the morning as baby Aliyah stirred in bed, snuggled against the base of her mom's neck. The constant drum of the rain pulled her out of a dream about their baby walking and talking in full sentences; clearly, her turning eight months old had played on Alex's mind the day before.
Alex looked down at baby Alliyah and sighed with a breath of relief that it was only a dream. The baby was still young. She quickly repositioned and drifted back to sleep as just a tiny bit of daybreak wrestled to escape the gray rain clouds and then struggled to peek in through the blinds.
