The woman looked up from her desk and quickly looked away. The smile leapt off her face. She felt the muscles in her shoulders tighten. Her former neighbor, Mrs. Stackin, had just entered the reception area looking much as she had a few weeks before. Anger filled the woman's heart as she thought back to that encounter. She had, of course, recognized her instantly. It hadn't been more than a few years since she had last seen her but even if it had been a decade she would know her. They had lived on the same block for over twenty years. Their kids had grown up together and they had attended the same church on and off for years, but as she went to say hello, Dorothy Stackin had turned away. Just another one of the many snobs that had rejected her since her divorce.

Linda came out of the examination room and ushered Mrs. Stackin in to be prepped for her appointment.

"Did she say anything to you?" she whispered to her coworker when she returned a few minutes later.

"No.", Angelina said. "Like I'm not even here."

"She has some nerve. I'm going to say something."

"No! Please don't. It's not worth it."

Angelina turned back to work but her mind drifted. She saw a parade of faces, sneering at her, averting their eyes, and then turning away. So many of those she had once considered friends had hurt her by treating her like a stranger. Many times she had had to fight the desire to just pack up and leave this town and never look back but as long as her boys still lived with their father she knew that would not happen. She pictured her former home and she felt like weeping. She sucked in a quick breath and tried to focus on the papers in front of her.

Soon Linda came out again carefully closing the door to the examination room.

"She knows you."

"Linda, I told you not to say anything."

"I didn't." her eyebrows raised in emphatic sincerity. "She asked me. She asked if your name was Angelina and I told her it was, she asked me your last name and I told her. Then she asked whether you used to be named Grabbino but I didn't know."

"That was me."

"You've got to say something. It's not right that you let people treat you like that."

"Shush you."

"Okay, suit yourself..." Linda said before turning and entering the other examination room. "but these snobs need to be put in their place."

*************************************

"Angelina?" Dorothy asked tentatively.

"Hello Dorothy." the doctor's assistant said coldly.

"I thought that was you, but you look so different. You've lost so much weight."

"Not that much."

"How is Albert? Is he done with college? My Tony graduated last year."

"Albert decided college wasn't exactly for him." Angelina answered weakly.

"Oh, isn't that a shame. Well, you know how the young men are these days...all you can do is hope for the best. And how are you, my dear? I often pray for you."

"Pray for me?" Angelina said. The words echoed in her head. Pray for me? "Maybe you should pray for all of the people in this town who think they're better than me." The words burst out of her. Words she never thought she'd say. Her lips trembled as she spoke, unable to stop more words from pouring out. "Maybe you should pray that you all get to stay safe and warm in your little lives and never be forced to challenge the little ideas of who is good and who is bad. Maybe you should pray that you and your friends never have to do what you are so sure you won't do. Maybe you should pray that you and your friends never become one of the people you are so sure you're better than."

"Oh, my dear, I can see you've been so hurt."

Angelina was a taken aback by Dorothy's reaction.

"I have been." she stammered.

Dorothy looked at her for a moment and then said softly,

"My eldest, Tony, has a drug problem, Denise has had three children out of wedlock and last month I told Edgar that I wanted a divorce."

Angelina felt the sharp sting of a knife going through her heart.

"Ohmigod, I'm so ashamed." she said. "Please forgive me. I don't know what came over me."

"Don't worry about it, dear, I know it's not always easy. Believe me, I know." she then took a deep breath, wished Angelina a pleasant day, and walked out the door.

Angelina turned away from the reception area and wept into her hands. When she finally looked up she saw her tear stained face staring back at her from the reflection in the Plexiglas shield.

Linda came around behind her and put her hands on Angelina's shoulders.

"So did you say anything to that big snob?" Linda asked.

"I'm looking at her right now, Linda and I don't know what to say."