The Box

<p>Emma grew up in Indiana feeling like the ugly duckling of the family-the third daughter of a high school beauty queen and football star who had two older daughters with perfect teeth flawless complexions and gorgeous hair.<br />She felt left out.<br />Then one day she met Clark Oden who made her feel special. <br />But she pushed him away and with her cousin Kalie drove away in a Datsun with a California or bust sign. At eighteen years old she was going on her first adult adventure but she kept thinking of Clark.<br />When she found out he was engaged she wondered how he could love someone else if he had loved her. Then she realized the answer: because she'd ended it.<br />Against all odds Clark and Emma got back together after seeing each other at a funeral with Clark calling off his engagement. But about a year after their reunion Emma could not shake the feeling that something was missing and once again she broke it off.<br />Over the years however she thought of Clark often but it wasn't until nine years later that she heard from him again just before he went off to war as a married man.</p>