Angela Agranoff - Sophia O'Malley 01 - Organized Blackmail by Angela Agranoff Page A

tucked away into the heart and mind of that person forever. The physical object can simply be the key that unlocks those memories.
     
    It was this realization that softened Sophia’s heart into compassion for clutter bugs. One person may see another person’s home full of dusty boxes clogging up an attic or spare room or garage, but Sophia saw something different altogether. She saw memories, tucked and hidden away but unable to be disposed of. Those memories cried to be seen and not hidden away. After graduating from Rocky Mountain Design College with a major in Interior Design at the age of twenty-one, Sophia managed with the help of her parents, to guarantee a small business loan. Two months later she opened up “The Travelling Organizer” in her hometown with the excitement and thrill of fulfilling a life-long dream.  Customers would flood in off the streets, she just knew. But no customers came. Not on the first day, or the second day, or even the third day. For two solid weeks Sophia simply sat at her desk worrying.  She spent hours second-guessing herself, as many business owners do, wondering what she could do differently.
     
    And then an idea came to her—an idea that would take her around the world. Her mother was a travel agent. When she was younger she thought of the ways she could travel and all the romantic places she could explore.  Sophia always felt that if she were to pick another career it would be in the travel industry. Why not combine her two interests into one? Why only promote her business in her own small town? Why not assist clients around the world?
     
    “That idea of mine certainly sent me globe-trotting,” Sophia told a lazy Tabby cat named Duke, sitting on a white marble kitchen counter next to the sink. “Mother helped me greatly. And after a while, I was off on my own two feet…seeing the world, living my dream.”  Sophia spent a number of years travelling to different parts of the world helping clients who were privately referred to her.  It was a dream come true . . . until Patrick came into her life.  Then everything changed, and she was welcoming the change.  While Patrick was alive they did some travelling together, but for the most part she helped clients closer to home, and she was fine with that.  Life was simple and good.
     
    Sophia sat the coffee cup down into the kitchen sink. As she did, she caught her reflection in the oval window hanging over the kitchen sink. A beautiful woman with shoulder length reddish-blond hair and bright, blue eyes stared back at her. The woman was wearing a cheerful sleeveless yellow dress that complimented her skin complexion. “Beauty fades, Duke,” Sophia whispered to her cat. “But memories are forever. Which reminds me, I really need to go out to the garage and sort through those boxes. I am ready and excited to create a fresh start.  Clearing out some of the old to create space for the new adventures in my life.  It’s not always easy, but nothing that is worthwhile is easy.”  Sophia scratched Duke around his ears and he purred loudly. The only thing that Duke liked more than being scratched was his favorite cat cookie treats.
     
    Duke licked his fat paw and jumped down from the kitchen counter. Suddenly, a fluffy white Persian cat named Wilbur strolled into the kitchen, looked at Sophia and then wandered over to a set of food dishes and began to eat. Sophia smiled. “I knew you kitties would like Piney Woods. The city really was no place for you. We are all much more relaxed here. I love the small town feel, fresh air, and endless hiking trails. This place has showed me that I don’t have to travel the world to feel like I am in paradise. It’s been two years and we’re…we’re doing alright here.” Sophia explained to the two cats.
     
    Again, Sophia felt sadness tug at her heart. She missed Patrick. Before moving to Piney Woods, Patrick had become suddenly ill and died of cancer that spread through his body