Bright Sider!

She had always been optimistic.

Probably optimistic to a fault. Kind of a PollyAnna really.

But she really didn't understand why people worried about the worst thing happening. What an undue burden you put on yourself. Why not just imagine the best might happen instead of the worst? Yes, there were people that called her delusional, but wasn't it just as delusional to imagine the full catastrophe when your husband was late a few times and didn't always answer his cell phone when you called instead of being pretty positive that he must be planning a surprise birthday party for you?

Really, why was the positive the one that people thought was delusional?

Okay, and then when it turns out that he was having an affair. With your best friend. And there was no surprise birthday party. Why would you focus on the negative instead of just going out and getting yourself a really nice present. I mean some new gloves and something shiny might make you feel like you had a new lease on life right? If you look good, you feel good.

And when you were talking to the nice young police officer about the mysterious deaths of your estranged husband and his dirty whore mistress why in the world wouldn't you think that he was on your side? And gloves wouldn't hold on to gun powder residue, right? That was just common sense. Skin held residue, not leather. Even though leather was really skin when you thought about it. But why think about it? She was sure that everything was going to be fine.

And when the jury seemed to not want to make eye contact with her at the end of the trial she was pretty positive it was because they were just embarassed for everything she had to go through. She was a really great person. Everyone said so. All of the newspaper articles that quoted her friends and former co-workers said things like "she always seemed so nice." See? She was nice. They would see that she hadn't done anything wrong. She had been positive of that. Not guilty, of course that's how it would happen. So dramatic. Maybe even confetti. Did they have confetti in courtrooms for not guilty verdicts? That would be a lovely touch. And of course maybe some sort of reprimand to the officer who was clearly too young to do a good job.

And the judge? What a nice gentleman. He even pointed out that she showed no remorse. Well, of course she was sad that that scum sucking son of a bitch and her worst nightmare enemy were dead, she would miss both of them terribly. But remorse? Remorse was for people who had done something wrong, and she was absolutely positive that they could all see she had not and she would walk out of this courtroom with a fine, maybe? So she was glad when the judge pointed out that she had zero remorse. Definitely some sort of fine and time served. And maybe an apology for the jury being so confused.

The appeals board letters were very nicely worded. They were reviewing everything. Thank goodness. A good review would sort this all out. She figured it would take a few weeks and then she would get some sort of settlement from the state. A new car maybe? Or probably cash. Cash seemed more likely. And she would take it with a smile and be very gracious about the whole thing. Because really whose fault was it? The cash payout would come for sure, maybe in the form of one of those giant checks you got when you won the lottery. And of course there would be a disbarment of that horribly misogynistic judge.

There would be a last minute reprieve from the governor. She was absolutely sure of it. She told all the guards that. And the priest who came to see if she wanted last rites. She wasn't even Catholic, but he came anyway, wasn't that nice? Just shows that people are basically good at heart. And that they knew she didn't deserve to be in this particular situation. And wasn't the chocolate cake they gave her for dessert just the best? You wouldn't give someone a piece of cake like that if you didn't think the governor would be calling soon. He'd apologize, of course, and she still could see the giant check in her head. And then she'd have a chance to talk to those faceless bureaucrats on the appeal board. See what they thought now that the governor had seen the right way.

As they lowered the hood over her eyes she was certain that St. Peter would greet her with open arms and walk her right in those pearly gates...

She had always been optimistic.