"My husband picked my friends," she said softly. "I don't know why but he didn't want me to be seen with anyone that wasn't of his choosing." That, she thought, and they were people who looked the other way when certain things were happening. Her eyes half closed and she murmured, "Everything had to be just so."

She gave a sad smile. To be honest, none of those people chosen to be in her life really gave a damn. Nobody showed up to place a hand on her shoulder when the babe died. To be honest, she was probably one of the loneliest souls in Whitby.

"I would love to go to church with you," she said.