"I’m invisible to most people, unless I have something to give them. Saying no feels like I’m pushing away the people I want to be close to. So when my mother called to tell me she needed me to come home because my sister, Amelia, was sick and in the hospital again, I grudgingly boarded a plane back to Denver to deal with my family."
Scarlet has the life most only dream about—she travels the world, she makes plenty of money and she has the best friend anyone could ask for.
But, piece by piece, her world is falling apart because of her damaged family, years of resentment and her sister’s drug and alcohol addiction. Scarlet tries to keep it together, but when her sister desperately needs help, Scarlet has to make a decision that will change every part of her life. Unicorn is a story of internal struggle, choices, and a broken family.
EXCERPT
I’m invisible to most people, unless I have something to give them. Saying no feels like I’m pushing away the people I want to be close to. So when my mother called to tell me she needed me to come home because my sister, Amelia, was sick and in the hospital again, I grudgingly boarded a plane back to Denver to deal with my family.
Exhausted and needing a distraction, I was hoping I could sleep away my anger and resentment on the long flight home from Dubai. I reclined my seat, closed my eyes and imagined the celebration of the successful show and after-party I was missing. While I was packing my bags and trying to book a flight, the other models were mingling with the hot, new UAE designers looking to sign models. The show had been a highlight in my career, a game-changing event that could have secured a generous contract. Instead, I was sitting next to a woman wearing too much rose-scented perfume, on a long flight home to participate in Amelia’s drama. I reached up, twisted on the air and closed my eyes once more replaying my mother’s phone call.
“Scarlet, can you come home right away? How long will it take you to get home? Amelia’s in the hospital,” Mom said.
So Amelia is in the hospital again, for the umpteenth time. What else is new? “I’m not supposed to leave until tomorrow, maybe the next day. We just finished the show and I still need to wrap things up.”
“Your sister needs you here right away. She’s very sick… I need you here.” She started to cry.
I took a deep breath, then spoke without thinking. “Amelia needs detox and treatment… She’s probably out of prescription drugs and needs a refill,” I added callously.
I hated feeling so heartless, and tears escaped from my closed eyes. I was frustrated and tired. I needed sleep. I would have a lot to deal with once I was home.
About the author:
L.E. Get understands the devastation and pain that drug and alcohol addiction causes. He’s experienced the crazy-making behavior addicts inflict on family and friends. But he has also witnessed the miracles of sobriety. L.E. Get wrote Unicorn: Addiction, Guilt, and a Decision That Will Change Her Life, for family and friends of alcoholics and addicts because he knows that loving an addicted person is frustrating and lonely.
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