The next chapter

It was new and exciting. She bubbled over with anticipation. Nothing was as it had been, everything was clear. She reveled in the novelty of it all, welcoming the flitting butterflies tumbling across her lungs. It was hard to breathe this close to him, but she did not for a moment consider taking a step back.

The man on the ladder

The little girl carefully tied a blue dish towel to her head, positioning it just so, pretending to flip her “long hair” over her shoulder. She wandered outside, feeling the sun warm her shoulders and bare feet.

“Hello?” She called, imagining a world filled with colorful bunnies and flying fairies. She peeked around the corner of the house, pretending to hide from imaginary bad guys.

“Hello!” A man’s voice pierced her make-believe world, startling her. The blue dish towel slipped off her head as she spun to see the source of the voice. A thin young man stood on a ladder, cleaning windows.

The little girl blinked up at him. A wave of embarrassment washed over her as she realized he must have seen her prancing about the lawn, bedecked in her dish towel hair and immersed in her imaginary world. He calmly continued washing the window pane, wiping with smooth, practiced swipes.

Back to school

Life as a university student was not what she expected. For starters, everyone was just so nice. The bursars lady, the resident assistant, the librarian. Everyone was bursting at the seams with niceness in a way Maureen had never experienced before in her life. She was accustomed to cold politeness, but this warmth? This was new. And so much eye contact. It was all a bit much. But she decided she could live with it, as it wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

Maureen dressed quickly before her roommate returned. Sharing a tiny room with a stranger was not high on her list of favorite things, but she made it work. Her roommate was a wispy little thing from an affluent family, who wore nothing but bright prints and crop tops. Given that Maureen was carrying a few extra pounds, she was not keen on being seen undressed by her waifly instragram model of a roommate.

The neighborly

She glanced in the mirror on her way out the door, and almost did a double-take. The woman in the mirror was not someone she saw often. Her coiffed and glossy reflection gazed back from under curled lashes, skin fresh and dewy. Her normal messy bun was replaced by a sleek low ponytail, secured at the nape of her neck.

“Who dis?” she joked at the mirror, as she slung her keys up from the counter.

“Hey lil lady!” Mrs. Ramsen called, thumbing through envelopes retrieved from the mailbox. “Look at you all dolled up, you sure do clean up good.” Her sweet neighbor always had a compliment to give.

“Thank you ma’am,” she hopped into her car. “It sure does feel weird, but I gotta put my good face on for this interview.”

“Go get’em, girlie.” Mrs. Ramsen gave a supportive thumbs up. “I know they’ll be lucky to have ya!”

She smiled and waved, deeply thankful for her lovely neighbors.

Street food

The petite woman poured a creamy mixture into the scalding cast iron skillet. She waited a beat, then flipped it expertly with a fluid motion. Her forearm rippled with sinewy muscles, an unexpected sight given her slight stature. A line of hungry onlookers had formed, each appreciating the delicious aromas whilst waiting for their portions.

The day had started off crisp and clear, but the weather had turned just before midday. Clouds gathered ominously overhead, looming and thick. The air was ripe with impending rain. Despite the darkening sky, the line at the food cart grew nearly as quickly as it did on sunny days.

Selling at the hospital has its perks, the petite woman thought, noting that many who stood in line wore scrubs or business attire. No storm can stop these medical folks from their street food. Good for business.

The escape

She drove away, relief flooding over her. Away from the immediate danger, the tension that had tightened around her began to loosen. Adrenaline still coursed through her system, leaving her trembling as she gripped the steering wheel.

Just drive. She focused on the road ahead, peering through the pelting rain. Her daughter squealed in her carseat.

“We’re ok, pumpkin.” She reassured the baby. Then in a whisper, “We’re going to be ok.”

Three generations

“Mom, could you pass me a paper towel please?” Darla asked.

“Huh?”

“A paper towel,” Darla said again.

A pause. “What?”

“Nevermind.” Exasperated, she reached for it herself. “You need to get your ears checked, Mom” she said, as she wiped bits of egg and toast from the counters.

“My ears are fine.”

Darla rolled her eyes. Her mother’s ears had been “fine” for over a year now.

Checking her phone for the time, Darla swept the scattered toys up with efficient motions and tumbled them into a yellow bin.

“James,” she called. “Get your shoes on.”

She gathered up the rest of the toys and a few books from the carpeted floor.

“James,” she called impatiently. Can no one in this house hear me?

Quick footfalls sounded on the stairs as the little boy bounded down, spaceship in one hand and a Lego man in the other. Blond curls framed a cherubic face.

“Mommy,” James panted exaggeratedly. “Did you see that? I ran so fast.”

“Yes you did, sweetheart,” Darla agreed, smiling at his showmanship. “Now can you speed over and get your shoes on?”

He raced away in the direction of the shoe rack, followed by Darla.

“Back in a few,” Darla called to her mother, as she slipped into her boots.

“Bye grandma!” James called.

She buckled him into the carseat and pulled the Volkswagen out of the driveway a moment later.

Book Review: When You See Me, by Lisa Gardner

This one was a quick read. I downloaded it to my Kindle (I get my books on loan from my local library) without any issues. Since I mostly read before nodding off, it took me 2 days. I did not know anything about the book or author prior to jumping into the book, and realized later that this is part of a larger series called DD Warren. That was not a huge deal though, and I was able to track the story just fine.

The story follows several characters as they work to solve a cold case involving multiple deaths/disappearances of young girls. The main suspect is a rapist who was killed the year prior. As they make progress on the case, a new spree of murders kicks off, and the team realize they are not only solving a cold case, but also that their primary suspect may not be the only person responsible.

The first 2/3 of the book was somewhat engaging, but it wasn’t until I hit the final 3rd of the book that things really kicked off. There were a couple twists I wasn’t expecting, so kudos to the author for keeping me guessing.

In my opinion, the characters were generally single-layered, which is unfortunate. Most of the characters lacked any depth, so it was difficult for me to stay connected and care about each of them to the degree that I would have liked. Perhaps readers of the whole series would beg to differ on this. It is entirely possible that characters are more developed in the other books in the series which I did not read.

Overall I found this book interesting. Great for light reading while on the bus to work, or to hold you over if you don’t immediately have anything better, but I personally am not compelled to pick up the rest of the series.

The morning runner

One foot in front of the other. Layne ran. She passed a still playground, quiet and damp with dew. A grey rabbit nibbled on something green, eyeing her with careful nose twitches. At the last moment, the rabbit sprang away, agile and quick.

With controlled steps, she continued down the path, following the curve as it wound through the center of town. Left foot, right foot. She listened to her breathing, feeling her body systems in sync, like a well-tuned machine. Leaving the town behind, she rounded the base of a hill and headed up the path.

Layne’s feet carried her up a hill, the incline putting her legs to the test. She pushed the pace, pumping her arms and allowing her heart rate to climb as she ascended. The view as she crested the hilltop was her favorite part about running this route. It overlooked the whole town as well as the woods beyond. The air was still crisp this early in the morning, interrupted only by the occasional bird’s call.

She slowed a moment to drink in the view, looking to the distant horizon where the sky was budding with oranges and pinks. Without a word, she turned and jogged along the winding path down the hill back towards town.

The homeowner

Emily adored her little house. She purchased it almost exactly one year ago when interest rates and home prices were at an all-time low. As a result, she had managed to score a cute little cottage in a good part of town for a pretty fantastic deal. The money she saved in the purchase was being funneled into what she called her “fix-up fund.” She had plans to re-do the downstairs bathroom as well as the kitchen counters.

Tab the cat slinked and stretched, finding a comfortable spot on the couch.

Emily swiped and tapped on her phone, adding to the shopping list.

“I need extra paint brushes,” she said absently to Tab.

The phone in her hand buzzed. She tapped the green button to answer the call.

“Hey Neelan,” she piped.

“Hi babe,” he said warmly. “I’m around the corner, be there in 10 seconds.”

“I’ll come out front.” Emily said, shrugging into a sweater and grabbing her cross-body bag. As she swung through the door, she called a goodbye to Tab, who did not stir.

Sure enough, Neelan’s truck pulled into her driveway just as she bounced down the steps. She found it sweet that he was excited to pick out tiles and paint together for her place.

“Hey there lil lady,” he said, with a kiss. “You ready?” He asked.

“Born ready,” she smiled.