Dead Woman Crossing by J.R. Adler (books on motivation .txt) 📗

was a whole world out there, and she chose Okla-fucking-homa. What was she thinking? Oh, yes. She was thinking of her mom, her daughter, their future. But would her new job be enough for her? Would this town respect her? Would David and his family accept her? Is this simple place even where she wanted Jessica to grow up? No exposure to anything besides this little bubble? Worry after worry. Thought after thought, each its own vehicle, speeding along a twelve-lane highway at one hundred miles an hour, flying in both directions and just narrowly missing one another, cutting each other off, vying to be in the front of her mind, an impending collision bound to happen. The one thing she was sure of at that point was that she wouldn’t be sleeping at all. And before her first day of work, no less. It was just gonna be one of those nights. Kimberley let out a sigh and pulled out her cell phone, opening the Hallmark movie app. With a couple of scrolls, she quickly settled on the film, The Lost Valentine starring Betty White and Jennifer Love Hewitt. She had seen it many times, but that didn’t bother her. She liked it for what it was: predictable and heartfelt. Kimberley dimmed her phone’s brightness, slid her AirPods into her ears, and pressed play.

9

Kimberley waved goodbye to Jessica a third time. Her daughter was already so preoccupied with colorful blocks and new friends that she didn’t deliver another bye-bye beyond the first one. A small ache settled in Kimberley’s heart at leaving Jessica at daycare. In the city, Jessica would cry when she left, but here she didn’t even notice. Then again, in the city, she left her with a seventy-year-old woman named Agnes that Kimberley was sure watched soap operas all day. Regardless, Jessica was growing up before her eyes. Kimberley nodded at Margaret, who gave her a reassuring smile back. She left the room and made her way down the hall, through the foyer and when she went to open the front door, it was pushed into her with greater force than she had provided. On the other side, holding the door handle, stood a disheveled Hannah with her daughter, Isobel, propped up on her hip.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” she said, taking a step back and looking Kimberley up and down. Recognition hit from the day before and she gave her a clumsy smile. “We have to stop meeting like this.” She laughed awkwardly.

“They didn’t fire you yesterday?” Kimberley said with a smirk, holding the door open so Hannah could get by.

Hannah crossed the threshold out of breath like she had been running. Her hair was haphazardly pulled back in a messy ponytail and her eyes were dark and heavy. Kimberley assumed she looked similar as she hadn’t slept well either. She released the handle, allowing the spring-loaded door to close, keeping the air conditioning and the children contained.

“Unfortunately, not. I keep trying but they just can’t seem to cut the cord,” she said sarcastically, walking into the foyer.

Hannah bounced Isobel on her hip a couple of times. “You just drop your daughter off?”

Kimberley nodded.

“I need to get here on time one of these days, so our little ones can meet,” Hannah said with a strained smile, the smile someone gave when they needed a friend, someone to talk to.

Kimberley recognized that look. She had seen it many times before.

“Well, I’ll keep being here at the same time, so maybe five minutes earlier on the old alarm clock and our girls can finally say hello.”

“Ha, I’ve tried that. Hell, I’ve tried an hour earlier. I just keep hitting snooze. It’s like my mind won’t let it trick itself. It knows the exact time I need to wake up and be in a constant state of anxiety and rush so we can haphazardly sprint through the morning, not showing up on time to anything and alienating everyone around us. It’s really a lovely way to start the day—you should try it sometime.”

Kimberley could hear the sarcasm mixed with actual regret and stress. A sad love song, begging for help.

“I just might have to do that. Maybe take a walk on the wild side,” Kimberley joked back. She liked Hannah. “Well, I’m off to work, really shouldn’t be late on the first day. It was nice seeing you again.”

Kimberley made her way toward the front door. As she grabbed the knob, twisted, and pulled the weight in toward her, she felt a hand land on her shoulder and give the slightest suggestion of pressure, urging her body to please turn back around. Hannah was still in the foyer, staring at Kimberley’s face.

“Ya know, my offer still stands by the way. If you wanna grab coffee or a drink some time I would be more than happy to.” This time the pretense of a warm invitation was gone. The sentence could just as easily be translated as “Please spend time with me. I need a friend. Please.”

And Kimberley suddenly knew more about this woman than words could ever say, yet she still wanted to learn more.

“I didn’t forget,” Kimberley said with a soft smile, trying to keep the situation light. “Look, I’m over at the Custer County Sheriff’s Office. How about you call me today on one of your breaks? I’ll have a better idea of my schedule, and we can set up some time. Sound good?”

“Sure! Yeah. I can do that. I mean, I will. I’ll call.” Hannah lit up, giddy as a schoolgirl going to her first dance.

Kimberley gave her a nod and left the daycare center, jogging back to her car. She looked down at her watch… She was going to be late for work, her first day of work.

10

Just like the day before and like her days would be from that point on, Kimberley opened the first set of doors to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office. She carried in a cardboard box of personal