The other day I was browsing through old ‘unfinished’ files, seeking inspiration, and found one that contained a line that had come to me in a dream a couple of years ago. With time to fill and a laptop with a full battery charge, I wrote the following short story / vignette from that line.

I deliberately kept the protagonist’s cause for grief vague. The important thing was the grief, not the story behind it.

The Woman in the Mirror

Using the palm of her hand, she wiped away the tears which had been flowing. Her heart felt blistered and hot, an unrelenting agony she had never believed in before it happened to her. She reached for her breast, pressing hard, but the pain continued unabated. More sobbing escaped her tight throat, though she tried to hold back. How long could a person cry before something snapped, before she wound up locked in a rubber-lined room? In her mind’s eye, a nightmare vision loomed: a huge hypodermic needle zooming in to stab her into oblivion. She blinked it away with a fierce sharp shake of the head.

“No!” she rasped a raw, voiceless whisper. “It’s only grief. This is normal!”

But deep down, she knew nothing was normal, nothing could ever be normal again. She felt certain this loss would break her, that it had already broken her. She expected to see shards of herself lying on the floor, and glancing down, she felt mildly surprised to find her flesh still intact.

After another lengthy bout of weeping, she pulled herself weakly to a sitting position. Her head pounded urgently. She needed something, she needed someone. Who could she call? There was nobody left. It was all gone. She was alone, would be alone forever, oh God, oh Jesus help…

“Stop that!”

She cringed at the shocking loudness of her own voice. “I can’t help it,” she cried, bursting into tears again. “It’s gone, everything is gone! I can’t stand it, I want to be dead!”

Surely she was going mad. She must do something to escape the ever-building pressure of this inescapable grief. She could feel the hole in her heart, a raw, bloody hole full of black death, and all her tears could not wash it from her.

“All right, Samantha,” she muttered, feeling giddy. “Let’s take you out for a nice walk. That’ll do you some good, I think!”

As she dressed, she focused on breathing, inhale following by exhale, feeling the sensations of her muscles moving, her weight shifting around her centre of gravity. Amazing how complicated the simple processes of locomotion and breathing were, she mused, once you really paid attention.

That’s it.

The ‘Be Here Now’ people were right, those new-age loonies her sister used to drag her to. They had the answer to freedom from pain.

Just pay attention to what’s happening in the moment, ignore everything else. Maybe I can do this.

The sudden grating shriek that escaped her lips caught her by surprise, knocked her off her feet into a huddled ball on the floor, half-pulled-up pants at her knees, arms wrapped protectively around the raw wound in her heart.

How do people recover from this kind of heartbreak? Is it even possible?

Maybe it’s time to pull the plug, slice my wrists and bleed real blood into a nice hot bath.

It wasn’t the first time the thought had occurred to her, and she pushed it away with a little less vigour each time.

Why not? Who is there to miss me? Who would even notice?

She stumbled into the bathroom to splash her puffy skin with cold water. As she toweled her face dry, she caught a glimpse of her own face in the mirror. In that fleeting instant, she saw herself as she might see a beloved friend who was suffering terribly. The towel slipped from her hands. “Oh, my poor dear,” she whispered, reaching to stroke the trembling cheek, but touched only the cold hardness of the mirror. Her hand pressed against the glass as she gazed helplessly into the eyes of her despairing reflection.

“I so wish I could help you,” she heard herself saying. “There’s nobody else but me, is there? If I could do anything for you at all, I would do it. You don’t deserve this fate. You should be loved, surrounded by living people, not by this empty death. It’s not fair. You shouldn’t have to suffer this way.”

The woman in the mirror stared at her, eyes widening in shock, face slackening as she heard. Samantha looked her deliberately in the eyes, projecting love, strength, faith and understanding as strongly as she could. Her heart melted, opened, and softly ached with empathy for the woman in the mirror, a pain so different to the hard, wrenching agony of a few moments ago.

“I’m here for you, my precious darling,” she said, meaning every word. “I’m here for you, and I always will be. I will never leave you or abandon you. I am here for the long haul. There’s to be no bathtub full of blood for you, and no medicating into oblivion either. We’ll get through this together, even if it’s just you and me. It’ll take time, but we’ll recover. I know we will.”

She spoke with firm, quiet authority, while the woman in the mirror sobbed gratefully, her hands touching Sam’s where they rested on the mirror. For a moment she imagined their soft palms meeting, flesh pressing.

She would get through. She would survive.

This month’s exercise for my writer’s group:

Word: Journalize
Question: Do you know where your kids are?

I’ve never been one to journalize (I’m more the stream-of-consciousness sort) but this crisis should be documented, and I’m the only one who can do it.

You see, I’m the only one left. Everyone is gone–my friends, my family, my husband, the police, the mayor, and worst of all, a loss I cannot contemplate without tears (they flow from my eyes as I write) my kids.

It began innocently enough, I suppose; at least, I had no suspicions that life as I knew it was about to end. As for why I remain, I have no guesses. It’s a mystery to me, and there is no one to ask.

The day had dawned bright, one of those glorious, burgeoning May days that make you believe in immortality. I was in the kitchen trying to do too many things at once, talking on the phone with my mother, cooking dinner and mediating a life-and-death dispute between Sherry, five, and Teddy, who was three.

“So, what do you think I should do?” I asked Mom. I was telling her about an issue I had with my oldest son’s second-grade teacher, Mr. Eberts. He had been unfairly picking on poor Samuel, who was a sensitive boy. I was really angry but was too shy and intimidated by his air of authority to say anything directly to him. Instead, I bitched to Mom.

“You should make him stop!” Sherry shrieked, slapping at Teddy, who began to cry.

“I wasn’t talking to you, sweetie, I was talking to Grandma,” I said. “And don’t hit your brother! That’s no way to settle a quarrel.”

“I think you should march right up to him and give him a piece of your mind,” Mom stated firmly. Of course I knew she would say that. I didn’t really expect her to solve my problem. It was an old habit of mine, asking for her opinion, then ignoring it. She appreciated being asked, and I felt it was good for our relationship.

“I can’t do that,” I said. “He’s just so tall. And he looks down at me like I’m some kind of a bug.”

“Mommiiee!!” Teddy whined. “She gots my twain. Make her give it me!”

“I had it first, you little baby!” Sherry quickly interjected. “And it’s not yours, it’s ours! Santa gave it to the whole family!” (I had known that was a bad idea, but Glen, aka Santa, had insisted.)

“Mine! Miiine!!” Now he was full-out shrieking. I sighed.

Reaching down, I lifted him to my left hip and rocked him while I propped the phone against my other shoulder. “It’s ok, Teddy. Sherry’s right, the train set is hers too. And she did have it first. But you can help Mommy talk to Grandma, okay?” He sobbed inconsolably, and Mom said, “Heavens, Susan, you do baby that child. You’re going to turn him into a Mama’s boy.”

I chose to ignore that, bringing the conversation back to Mr. Eberts. “Okay, I know I should stand up to him, Mom, but I think he takes unfair advantage of his height and his big deep voice. He treats me like I’m just another child, not a parent. I should lodge a complaint with the administration, I think.”

Talking with Mom helped me to get clear in my own mind what to do. I breathed a sigh of relief. Teddy’s sobs trailed away and he began to fall asleep against my shoulder, and Sherry contentedly took the train back into the playroom to join the rest of the train set so she could continue with her game… a working woman commuting to the office.

That’s my girl, I thought.

Just then I noticed smoke curling around the edge of the oven door.

“Shit! I mean, shoot! I have to go, Mom, something’s burning.”

I opened the oven door to see what was happening in there. Immediately smoke billowed out, making me cough. I reached through the vapors to shut the oven off. Then the smoke alarm came on, hideously loud, waking Teddy, who shrieked.

“Dammit!” I cursed. The wail of the smoke alarm sliced into my brain like a serrated knife. I plopped Teddy onto the floor and looked for a towel to flap at the smoke alarm to dissipate the smoke and make it stop screeching.

That’s when it happened. I’ve gone through this story in detail, hoping I might find some previously unnoticed clue. But I still don’t understand. In the blink of an eye, all the people vanished into thin air. I wasn’t looking…I was busy…but I could feel it happen. My mom went first. I felt her go, like a soap bubble popping in my mind. Then Glen, my husband, went, along with his boss and co-workers, and Mr. Eberts, and all the teachers and grown-ups in the town. They blinked out of existence, whole blocks of them at once.

Last of all, my kids went. I had begun to realize what was going on and was turning toward Teddy to snatch him into my arms, but just before I could face him he vanished too. And then Sherry and Samuel went. One at a time, their bright little flames disappeared from the world.

I knew I would be the one to stay. I could feel it. Whatever it was, it didn’t want me. I was left here all alone in my smoky house, smoke alarm screeching. I started to howl like a madwoman and didn’t stop until my throat was raw. On the streets, suddenly-empty vehicles smashed into buildings, trees, telephone poles and each other. All the world came to a crashing, thudding, screaming halt.

That was a week ago. And I still don’t know where my kids are.

“I don’t care! Goddammit!” The heavy glass mug sailed through the air, crashed against the wall and rolled unbroken across the carpeted floor. “Why are you doing this, Stephen?” she demanded.

“Maggie, please don’t take it that way,” her husband begged. “It’s just…” he paused helplessly. “I didn’t mean to sound like–” he trailed off again.

“To sound like you are leaving me, you mean? What else would you call it?”

“I don’t want to leave you! I love you. But I love her too. I can’t help it!”

His last word was punctuated by the slamming of the door.

——————-

Now what? The question nagged relentlessly. Maggie tried to distract herself. The book she was reading, a tear-jerker tale of love gone wrong, held her interest until the voice grew so loud she had to turn on the television to drown it out. Flipping channels distracted her only a little while. Finally she reached for the telephone.

“Nadia? Do you have a minute? I need to talk to someone.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

Maggie hesitated. She hadn’t known Nadia long, but she couldn’t afford the long-distance to her older friends.

“It’s kind of personal–I don’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense. I’m listening.”

——————-

“Men. Fuckers.” Stephanie took a swig from her vodka cooler.

“Yeah– can’t live with ‘em, don’t want to live without ‘em–” Maggie began to cry, causing mascara to streak her cheeks.

“Hey, girl, none of that,” jollied Nadia. “You’re in public now! Stiff upper lip and dam the torpodees!”

“Oh hush, Nad,” said Steph. “You can’t hide a broken heart. Let the world see. It’ll do it good. The world is a fucker.”

Maggie sobbed for a few minutes into her napkin, then wiped her face with it.

“Oh God, what will I do? I love him! And I’m pregnant!”

——————-

“You’re what?”

“Pregnant. I said I’m pregnant. Goddammit, you heard me the first time.” Maggie paced the floor, her face flaming.

“Maggie, honey, Jesus, what were you thinking? How could you, I mean, how did this happen?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, honey,” she snapped. “My best theory is, you poked and squirted and I conceived. Isn’t that how it usually happens?”

“I thought you used an IUD.”

“I thought so too. Apparently it doesn’t always work. Stephen, do you have to be such a prick about this?” She burst into tears.

——————-

“Why are you here, baby? Why now?” Maggie whispered, gently stroking the nearly imperceptible swell of her belly. “Can’t you see this isn’t a good time?”

She imagined a tiny voice saying, “It’s the only time for me.”

Maggie couldn’t conceive of going through a pregnancy now. It was impossible. But, though theoretically pro-choice, she was reluctant to abort. She already thought of the growing fetus as a person. She continued the internal conversation. She imagined the child (a little girl) saying, “I love you, Mommy.” Her throat swelled with unexpected tears.

The real trouble was, she wanted this baby.

——————-

“Hello? Maggie?” It was a woman’s voice.

“Yes,” she replied. “Who is this?”

“Is this a good time to talk?”

“Who is this?” she demanded.

“You probably don’t know my name. I’m a friend of Stephen’s.”

Maggie’s blood iced. “Oh. Brenda.”

“You do know my name. So he’s told you! That’s great!”

“What do you want?”

“Stephen’s really been hurting lately. Couldn’t you be nicer to him? He’s really a sweet guy.”

“What is Stephen to you?”

“He’s my friend. Like I said.”

“A friend you fuck?”

“A friend I love a lot,” Brenda said. “And sometimes, yeah. We fuck.”

——————-

“Maggie, you can’t leave me. Not now!” Stephen was frantic.

“Why not now? Now seems like a perfect time.”

“Well, we’re having a baby, for one thing.”

“I’m having a baby. You’re fucking Brenda.”

“Sweetie, if I’d known you’d take it so hard, I wouldn’t've–”

“Oh, crap. You knew exactly what you were doing,” Maggie said bitterly. “I am leaving. And this is my baby.”

“Maggie, this is my child too. I will be a part of it.” Stephen sucked in a deep breath. “Mags, I love you. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“Sorry enough to stop?”

“I — yes. Okay.”

——————-

“What? Stephen, why?” Brenda began to sob.

“Bren, she’s pregnant. And she’s my wife. I’ve told you I loved her all along. I can’t leave her. If I don’t stop seeing you, she’ll leave me.” Stephen lowered his voice, glancing at the bedroom where Maggie was sleeping.

“That’s not right!” On the telephone, Brenda’s voice sharpened. “She doesn’t own you, you’re a free human! Love should be without limits!”

“I know, but she’s having a baby, honey. Right now, she’s hormonal and territorial. We can’t blame her for that.”

“Oh, I can!”

“What do you mean?”

“Stephen– I’m pregnant, too.”

——————-

“Unbelievable! So the ‘other woman’ is pregnant, too?” Nadia whistled. “I hate to say it, but your life is even better than ‘The Young and the Restless.’”

“I hate living in a fucking soap opera!” Maggie exploded. “I should leave him. But– I want this kid to have a father. Dammit!”

Nadia’s eyebrow lifted. “Maggie, do you want the guy? I mean, honestly! He’s in love with another woman!”

“It’s not so simple.” Maggie sighed. “Have you ever heard of polyamoury?”

“You mean, multiple partners?”

“Brenda has converted Stephen. She thinks we should all live together. One big happy family.”

——————-

“Stephen, it sounds like a weird sex cult. Can you imagine what our friends would say? And our families? Jesus!” Maggie paced restlessly, arms folded.

“Honey, it’s not a cult,” Stephen insisted. “There’s nothing religious about it. There’s no leader who hypnotizes his followers for cash. It’s an alternative lifestyle philosophy.”

“A sex cult lifestyle philosophy!” Maggie whirled on Stephen. “Where you get to fuck two women, and I have to share my husband! And what about the kids?”

“It’s not about sex, Maggie! It’s about shared love without limits.”

“Bullshit. I don’t love Brenda. I don’t even know her!”

——————-

Brenda was older than Maggie expected. She smiled radiantly. “Maggie! I’m so glad to meet you! Thank you for being willing to meet me, that must have been so difficult.”

Maggie allowed the woman to clutch her hand, though her flesh crawled. She quashed the urge to bolt.

Stephen looked uncomfortable; understandably, Nadia thought. She was here at Maggie’s request, but was determined to stay out of it. “Don’t expect me to intervene for you,” she’d warned. “I’m just a witness.”

With a wry smile, Maggie had agreed. “I’ll want a post-mortem. It’d be easier if you were here.”

——————-

“So what did you think?” Maggie averted her eyes as she stirred sugar into her cappuccino. “About, you know, her?”

Nadia sighed. “She was nervous,” she said. “And obviously a flake. But she was kind of sweet and vulnerable. It was hard not to like her, in a pitying sort of way.”

Maggie was silent for a moment. “I guess she was sweet, in a sticky way. Oh, Nad, they make the sharesies thing sound almost reasonable. ‘Open your heart and everything is fine’. But is it that simple?”

“I don’t think so. The world isn’t structured that way, Mag.”

——————-

“I’d like a baby someday,” Nadia said wistfully. She glanced at Maggie’s belly, now noticeably rounded. “How does it feel to be pregnant?”

“I’m so distracted by the crap and drama in my life…guess I haven’t been paying much attention,” Maggie admitted. She cupped her hands over her womb. “I should be enjoying this. God knows if it’ll happen again.”

She paused introspectively, then continued. “I felt the baby move a little while ago. I was mad at Stephen, so I didn’t tell him. But it was incredible. Like a butterfly, soft and fluttery. It’s stunning to realize– this baby is alive!”

——————-

Maggie was not surprised to hear Brenda’s voice on the line. She called every day. It was always the same.

“Stephen isn’t here,” she said.

“Maggie, you know I called to talk to you. Won’t you talk with me?”

“No.”

“Why not? Please tell me why not! Must you hate me?” Brenda sounded close to tears.

“I don’t hate you. But the situation doesn’t work for me. I can’t deal with this now.”

“Our babies will be half-sisters or brothers. That matters! Don’t you care?”

“I might– someday. Right now, I want you to stop calling me!” She hung up.

——————-

Maggie lay in the darkness beside Stephen’s silent form.

“Stephen? You awake?” she whispered.

“Hmph? Uhh–I guess so,” he mumbled. “Whassup?”

“The usual thing,” she sighed. “I can’t sleep. This Brenda thing is driving me mad, Stephen.”

“Mags–honey, couldn’t you just–”

“No, I couldn’t. I need resolution! I need you to commit to me and this baby.”

“I am committed. But her child is mine, too.”

“So pay child support and visit on weekends! You can’t have us both, Stephen.”

“Maggie, you’re tearing me apart.”

“Stephen, I’m monogamous. If you’re with me, you have to be too. Deal with it.”

——————-

Maggie’s mother was shocked. “But you’re having a baby, Maggie! Is this the time?”

“Not for six and a half more months, Mom. And there’s a lot you don’t know.”

“I’m listening.”

“I needed him to make a solid commitment to our family… and he wouldn’t. So I’m leaving Stephen.”

Maggie nibbled a fingernail. Let’s see– I need to close out the joint account and take the money– that’s only fair, since I’m the one having the baby– I need to pack, of course… what else?

“Maggie, have you heard a word I’ve said?”

“Sorry, Mom. I’m a little distracted.”

——————-

Maggie gazed blankly out the bus window. She felt numb. Stephen had been so stubborn. Up until the end, he had refused to concede that a real family needed exactly one mother and one father. He used confusing language and concepts she didn’t understand. He was no longer the man she loved.

How could she live without him? An aching lump swelled in her chest.

No, this was not the place to cry. She would cry later. Meanwhile, she wished Stephen well in his new life as harem king. They’d find some other slut to play their perverted poly games.

——————-

“I can’t do this,” Maggie’s note began. Stephen’s heart froze. “I’ve tried to imagine it and I can’t. Okay, Brenda’s being pregnant complicates things. But the bottom line is simple: you want to stay married and have this child with me, or you don’t.

“I’m going home to my mom. If you decide you want a normal family life with me, then I might be persuaded to try again. But you have to understand, poly is not an option for me, not ever.

“Decide, Stephen. Brenda and the sex cult, or me and our child.”

“Ahh, Maggie, no!” Stephen groaned.

——————-

“Did Maggie tell you she was leaving?”

“No, she didn’t,” Nadia assured Stephen. “She must have thought I’d talk her out of it. I don’t think she knows what she wants. She’s just a pregnant scared girl running home to Mom.”

“That’s what I don’t get. She doesn’t even like her Mom.”

“Well,” Nadia said wryly, “There is something magnetic about Mommy when you’re in crisis. It’s positively atavistic. She’ll be back in a week.”

“I feel like such a shit.”

“You should, Stephen. She deserved better from you.”

“All right, I’m an asshole. What now?”

“Give her some time.”

——————-

“What you and I did wasn’t wrong in itself, Bren,” Stephen said. “But I’m married. It was dishonest and against Maggie’s will. I can’t hurt her anymore.”

“Stephen, we love each other,” Brenda pleaded. “Can’t we go on together somehow?”

“No, Bren. I have to stop. My marriage is too important to me. I care for you, but my commitment to Maggie comes first.”

“What about our child?”

“I’ll take responsibility and do what’s right. But if you and I ever hook up sexually, it can only be with Maggie’s knowledge and consent.”

“Bullshit, Stephen! That’s never going to happen!”

——————-

Maggie dunked her toast in her coffee with a vehement splash. “Don’t do this, Mom! You don’t understand!”

“Then tell me more. I want to understand, Maggie.”

“I left my husband because he was in love with another woman. That’s clear enough!”

“You said your note told him to decide. If you’d already made up your mind, why put it that way?”

“That’s not fair! Stephen had his chance! It’s over!”

“You’re a grown woman about to become a mother. Think a little more about what you’re doing before you burn your bridges!”

“I hate him!” Maggie burst into tears.

——————-

Maggie wandered down to her childhood special place under a looming cottonwood tree, where the bend of Copper Kettle Creek created a calm eddy, perfect for contemplation.

She stared into the sun-flickered brownish depths, hoping for a glimpse of the legendary trout her brothers had spent many unsuccessful hours trying to catch. She had joined the game, claiming this spot as hers, but never baited her hook– Instead, she had long conversations with the huge fish she imagined suspended in the dark waters, ancient and wise.

She spoke, as she had so often then. “Old Fish, what should I do?”

——————-

Submerged in murky depths, Maggie felt water swirl through her gills. A transcending peace suffused her. For the first time in weeks, she felt utterly relaxed, her problems receded to the water’s surface.

She felt the infant’s fishlike fluttering in the waters of her womb. Perhaps this deep, blissful restfulness was the old fish’s gift. She knew it could not last, and at the thought, she surfaced, spluttering, to awareness.

Gasping, she opened her eyes. She sat, her clothing dry, at the roots of the ancient cottonwood. The peace was still within her, as was the answer she had sought.

——————-

“Maggie, telephone. It’s Stephen.” Maggie’s mother’s voice was carefully noncommittal.

“I’ll take it.” Maggie took a deep breath. “Hello, Stephen.”

“Maggie! Oh, Maggie, I– I’m so sorry. I’ve treated you abominably and you deserved better and please won’t you come home? I need you so much–” The words tumbled out in a rush. Maggie heard Stephen’s desperate, urgent love for her, and her heart softened.

“Yes, Stephen, I will come home. But we need to get some things clear between us first.”

“Yes, of course,” he agreed, relieved. “I understand, you’ll have conditions. I’ll do anything.”

“You might be surprised.”

——————-

Stephen had time to think before Maggie came home, and he already regretted his willing acceptance of her conditions. He loved and missed Maggie urgently and wanted to raise a child with her. But he had his self-respect to consider. How could surrender his very soul to her selfish demands?

His backbone firmed as the clock ticked closer to Maggie’s arrival. Waiting in the car for the train, he imagined her demands. She would stand by her insistence on monogamy, of course, but what did that mean? Never an intimate moment with another human? How could he live that way?

——————-

Maggie unpacked the articles she had brought with her and joined Stephen on the couch. Awkwardness lay between them. This was the man she loved, she thought, bemused. She wanted to believe it was true, yet everything seemed unreal.

“Stephen?” she said hesitantly. “Stephen, I– oh, God.”

His eyes were hollow with anguish as he reached for her. To her utter astonishment, she fell weeping into his arms. A small detached part of her mind questioned the wisdom of opening her heart before getting her points across, but the tide of feeling overwhelmed them both. His sobs blended with hers.

——————-

Stephen and Maggie lay in a tangle of damp sheets, sublimely sated.

“My God,” Stephen murmured.

“Speaking,” Maggie giggled breathlessly.

“My Goddess– how could I ever want another woman?”

“I presume that was a rhetorical question, silly man.” She smiled dreamily.

He stroked her cheek and gazed into her eyes, noses touching. “Mags, right now, you are all women, so glorious and complete, I can’t imagine anybody else even exists.”

“Darling, that’s all I could ask for– thank you for saying it. Yet,” she mused, “I suppose this moment will pass–”

“Let’s not go there yet. I want to savor.”

——————-

“We need to agree on some things. You sprang Brenda on me out of the blue. That was sneaky and disrespectful, and not okay.”

“No more secrets,” Stephen agreed. “You’re right.”

“It’ll take a while before I can fully trust either of you, but Brenda’s child will be my stepchild and brother or sister to this baby.” Maggie patted her belly and took a breath.

“Brenda is in my life to stay. I’ll have to try to get to know her. Maybe I can love her too– it’ll take time.”

“We’ve got time.”

“Oh, Stephen! I’m scared–”

“Me too, Mags.”

Nadia walked swiftly down the echoing corridor, wincing at the clatter of her heels. Now, where … ah. Fishing in her pocket for the key, she glanced to either side before trying it in the lock. A satisfying click signaled the door’s opening. She slipped inside, closing it behind her, then turned to face the dark room.

From the dim interior, a hard voice spoke. “You took long enough.”

“I got lost,” she replied defensively. “Your directions suck.”

“Did you bring it?”

“It’s right here.”

“Well, give!”

“Why do you keep it so damn dark in here?”

“I said, give!”

2.

“Oh, Jonathan…” she whispered. “This is amazing. I love it.”

Jonathan was was busy. His labours made her breath swell and catch in the back of her throat. She moaned and wriggled her hips to aid his efforts. She could never have imagined that this might happen today! Sighing softly, Nadia surrendered her thoughts to the hot, sweaty moment she found herself in.

An hour ago, she’d unlocked the door of the darkened apartment of a near-stranger, chance-met in a bar. She remembered.

Over drinks, she’d mentioned she liked games.

“You do, eh? I’ve got one…”

It grew from there.

3.

“You bastard!” Nadia screamed. She whirled, grasping a heavy ashtray. Brandishing it, she pursued Jonathan down the hall. He slammed the door and the ashtray thunked off it. She snatched it up and heaved it one more time.

“Stop! What are you, nuts? I thought we had an understanding!”

“Fuck you! You’re a pervert! You creep!”

“What are you so uptight about? Fuck, just get out of here, okay?”

“All right, I’m going. But I wish you dead!” she shrieked passionately. Grabbing her high heeled shoes and her jacket, she stormed from the apartment, not bothering to close the door.More…

4.

“What happened with that guy? The one you met in the bar. You were all excited about him but you’re not talking. Spill it!”

Silence.

“Nadia, talk to me!” she pleaded. “I’m your best friend. We don’t have secrets.”

Nadia’s voice was strained. “Steph, I… I can’t talk about it yet. Please. Don’t harass me?”

“Harass? Whaat? I’m harassing you?” The voice on the telephone was hurt. “I thought you trusted me. I thought we were friends. What’s the deal?”

“We are friends. It’s just… I’m not ready. I need to think.”

“You already think too much. That’s your problem.”

5.

Nadia fled through dense mist. From pearly fog, skeletal half-transparent hands clutched her. Ghostly fingers grasped her ankles, forcing her to a halt. Their steely grip held her. She started to shriek, then woke, bolt upright in bed.

“Ahhhh…” the shriek transformed itself into a startled gasp, then a sigh as she flopped down on her back. Jesus! What a horrific nightmare. Not since she was a little girl had she…

Damn him. She hadn’t been able to get Jonathan out of her mind. His hands, his long, strong fingers, haunted her. It had been wonderful, at first. A novelty.

6.

The muted ringing of the phone crept into Nadia’s dreams. She reached to answer it, still half asleep.

“Nadia?”

She woke suddenly, excruciatingly. “How did you get my phone number?” she demanded.

“I looked it up. You shouldn’t be listed under your first name, you know. It’s not safe. Guys might figure out that you live alone.”

“I don’t live alone!” she snapped, panicking. “I have a huge roommate, he’s a, a gay bouncer at the club. His name’s Nadia too.”

His voice held a smile. “Sure. I didn’t mean to scare you. But I had to talk to you.”

7.

Charlie Kane clicked off the phone, laughing. “Boy, it takes all kinds,” he said.

“Huh? What’d ya say, Charlie?” Rob, at the next desk, looked confused. He hated having his thoughts interrupted; it threw him for a loop. Charlie wished he’d stayed silent. Now he’d have to explain.

“I was laughing at this woman who called in to report a stalker. When I asked her for details, she gave a bullshit story, then said ‘never mind’ and hung up before I could take her name.”

“What was the story?”

“Seems like she didn’t like his, shall we say, sexual preferences.”

8.

“Mommie?”

“Nadia! Is that you?”

“Mommie, can I come home?” Nadia’s voice quavered.

Ellen responded instantaneously, instinctively. “Of course, darling. Come right over. Do you want to talk about it?”

“I can’t yet, Mom. I’ll be right there. And…thanks…”

Ellen sat at her table with a cup of coffee. Anxious thoughts clashed in her mind. She couldn’t begin to imagine what might be wrong. She and Nadia had not been close recently. Something terrible must have happened.

Thank God Joe was away for the week, she thought. He was part of the reason she and Nadia had drifted apart.

9.

“Do you still take your coffee black, Nadia?” Ellen bustled at the coffeemaker, avoiding her daughter’s eyes.

“No coffee for me, Mom, I’m trying to quit. Besides, I’m nervous enough already.”

“Can I get you anything else? A cookie? Some lemonade?”

“No, Mom. Please. Don’t hover.”

“Nadia, for…”

Ellen took a deep breath. Something was bothering Nadia, and it needed to come out. She mustn’t start a fight. Not now.

“So,” she inquired, stirring her coffee. “What brings you here after all this time?”

“I don’t quite know… Mom, I’m confused.”

“Is it a man?”

“Sort of…”

10.

“Nadia, would you get the phone? I’m on the toilet!”

“Sure, Mom.”

“Hello? … Oh, it’s you. Can you call back? … Ten or fifteen minutes. Yeah.”

“Mom, that was Joe. He’ll call back in ten or fifteen.”

“Hello? Hi, honey. … Yes, Nadia’s here. … It’s a long story. … No, she’s just here for a visit. She needs to sort herself out. … Well, you’re not here, are you? … All right, all right. How’s it going so far?”

“Nadia, Joe says…”

“I know what Joe says. I’ll be gone by the time he gets back, don’t worry.”

11.

“Hello, Beth?”

“Nadia! Where the hell are you? The boss is going bonkers!”

“I’m calling in sick, Beth.Tell him that.”

“It’s a little late, don’t you think? You’ve already missed two days. You’ll be lucky you don’t get fired.”

“Let him fire me. I don’t care anymore. The job stinks anyway.”

“What are you talking about? You love this job and you know it. You’d better get your ass back here soon.”

“I need a full week. Three more days, Beth. Please? Cover for me?”

There was silence for a moment, then Beth sighed.

“Okay, Nad. But you owe me. Big.”

12.

“Nadia?”

“Hmm?”

Ellen pursed her lips, frowning slightly. Nadia had always been a difficult child. Ellen had never known how to talk to her, and always seemed to get it wrong. Still, she had to try.

“Sweetheart, when you called on Sunday, you seemed rather desperate about something. But you’ve done no more than drop hints since. Wouldn’t you like to talk about it?”

“Please,” she thought. “Please talk to me!”

“Ahh, I don’t know, Mom. I don’t know how you could help.”

To her horror, Ellen lost control. “I want to help!” she cried, sobbing, “You’re my only child!”

13.

“Oh, Mom! For Christ’s sake! Get over yourself!” Nadia said, disgusted.

Ellen angrily wiped her cheeks. Truly, the child was impossible. “There’s no touching you, is there, tough girl? I’ve always tried to be the best mother I could!”

“Right.” Nadia stared out the window. “Sure you did.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You tried sooo hard. Uh-huh.”

“Nadia! Explain to me, please! Did something happen to you as a child?”

“As if you didn’t know, Mom. Please. Don’t even bother.”

“Nadia…” A horrible thought occurred to Ellen. “Was it… Joe?”

“Bingo, Mom. What took you so fucking long?”

14.

“Mommy, guess what!” Nadia, age eight, burst in the kitchen door, tossing her backpack in the corner.

“Nadia, what have I told you about exploding into the house like that?” her mother reminded her peevishly. “And please, put your backpack away properly!”

“Mommy, it’s cool! Wait til you hear!” the little girl bounced excitedly. “My teacher says I get to–”

“Sweetie, never mind, tell me later. I have wonderful news for you.” Ellen’s face felt stiff. She had been preparing this speech all day. “You’re going to have a new daddy.”

“Mommy–NO!”

“Yes. He’ll be here for dinner.”

15.

Nadia was packing to run away from home. Into her backpack went her favourite doll, her dress-up clothes, her my little pony, and some cookies salvaged from that day’s lunch. She thoughtfully added a warm sweater. It might get cold.

She could hear his voice downstairs, talking and laughing with her mother. Hating him, she furiously zipped her backpack.

Why did he have to show up and ruin everything? It had always been she and her mother, and they’d done just fine. Who needed a daddy?

Stealthily, she slipped out the back door. Nobody even noticed. Nobody cared about her.

16.

“You don’t like me, eh, kid?” Joe sat on the edge of Nadia’s bed. She lay facing the wall, silently curled away from him. “You don’t have to. But I like your Mom. In fact, I love her. We’re getting married next month.” He waited for Nadia to respond. When she didn’t, he continued.

“I know I’m not your dad. But I’m a grownup who loves your mom, and that will make me your stepdad. You’ll get used to that. Eventually.”

After a few moments, Joe sighed. “Look. Play ball with me, and I’ll play ball with you. That’s all.”

17.

“Nadia! Dinner! For heaven’s sake, where is that child!” Ellen was exasperated. Ever since Joe had moved in permanently after the wedding, Nadia’s behavior had gotten worse. She was bound to adjust, but in the meantime, she made everyone’s life difficult.

“Well, that’s it. We’re not going to wait dinner on her,” she decided. “She can eat cold leftovers if she doesn’t show up.”

“Ah, it’s gotta be hard on the kid, El,” Joe said, forking a pork chop onto his plate. “She’s not used to guys in her life, that’s the problem.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault, is it?”

18.

“Nad, what are you doing?” her best friend Stephanie asked. Nadia was digging a hole.

“I’m burying my treasure so he can’t have it.”

“What kind of treasure is it?”

“This.” Nadia pulled from her backpack a small wooden box full of buttons, stones and seashells. “My collection.”

“That’s not treasure. Treasure is gold and diamonds.”

“It’s treasure to me.”

“Why does Joe want it?”

“I don’t know. He looks at me funny. I hate him.”

“You hate him for looking at you?”

“That’s not all he does.”

“What does he do?” Stephanie was fascinated.

“It’s a secret.”

“Tell me!”

19.

“Aren’t you going to tell me what happened?” Ellen asked quietly. Of course, she would leave him. Their relationship wasn’t strong enough to survive this. She always knew it wouldn’t last; the surprise was that it had survived this long. But she needed to know.

“Nadia? Please.”

Nadia stared out the window at the street below. “Why did you sell our house?” she asked suddenly. “I loved that house.”

“What? Why, I…” Ellen hesitated. “We needed the money.”

“He needed it.”

“He had debts.”

“Gambling debts.”

“…Yes.”

“Damn him!” she burst out. “He stole my life! And you let him!”

20/

“She says what?” Joe sounded angry but not surprised.

“She says you… did things to her when she was a child.”

“What does she say I did?”

“She hasn’t given details. She won’t talk about it.”

“And you’re kicking me out over that?”

“I’m not kicking you out. But I would prefer you stay away until I work this out with Nadia.” She added, hesitantly, “I want to rethink our relationship.”

“Ellen!” he cried, “Don’t you love me?”

“That depends what you did to my child, Joe.”

“Why don’t you ask me?”

“All right. What did you do to Nadia?”

21.

The sound was barely audible, yet it drew Ellen’s attention. Approaching Nadia’s door, she recognized muffled sobs. She froze in terrified doubt. Should she comfort her daughter? What if Nadia wanted to be alone?

She hesitated a moment, then, acting without further thought, opened the door and moved to the bedside. Kneeling on the carpet, she lay her arm across Nadia’s shoulders, murmuring soft encouragement.

“There, darling, yes, there…” she whispered. Then, “Mommy’s here…” Nadia’s choked sobs opened into full-throated, childlike bawling. Her mother wrapped her arms more firmly around her as she wept. Ellen wept with her. “My baby!”

22.

Nadia stared at the pile of papers that had accumulated while she was gone. “Christ!”

Charlie poked his head over the edge of the cubicle. “That’s what you get. You know how much they need you.”

“Where do I start?” she groaned. “I should’ve come in if it killed me!” Once, she had loved this job, its stress, deadlines and furious pace. Now she felt overwhelmed.

“Can’t help you, darling. They’re not called deadlines for nothing, and I’ve got my own. Besides, you already owe me.” He eyed her stack. “Better get to work. I hear the boss’s heavy tread.”

23.

“Where you staying?”

“I’m at Mom’s.”

“Nadia, are you sure that’s the best place for you right now?”

“It’s okay, actually. We’ve made some breakthroughs. Steph, I cried last night. Mom held me… and she cried too. It was amazing. ”

“Nad, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you both!”

“I still haven’t been able to tell her about what that prick Joe did to me, though.”

“You’re not going to tell her about that!”

“She knows something happened. And she’s married to him. She deserves to know what he did. Steph… she’s my mother. I have to tell her.”

24.

“Erickson, my office.”

Nadia’s heart sank. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. All day, her first day back after a week away, she’d noticed the boss’ evil eye and had tried to focus, without success.

“Erickson, you’ve been under stress. It’s obvious.” She didn’t answer. He continued, “Have you considered a leave of absence?”

Competition in her field was fierce. Once replaced, however temporarily, it was never easy to take over from one’s replacement. Nadia set her jaw.

“No, sir. It’s minor. I was ill. I’m fine now.”

“Allright. One more chance.You’ve been an asset to the firm… so far.”

25.

“Thanks for being here for me when I needed you, Mom. I haven’t given you credit. You’ve been a good Mom… good enough.”

“Thanks, honey,” Ellen smiled ruefully. “I know I wasn’t perfect.”

“It’s time for me to go back to my life. But you deserve to know what… what Joe did to me.” She blinked hot tears from her eyes.

Ellen took her hand. “Darling, I would like to know. But you don’t have to tell me. It won’t matter. Joe is out of my life. I know all I need to.”

“I want to tell you, Mom…but…it’s hard!”

25.

“I’m sorry for dumping my childhood on you, Jonathan. It’s not your problem.” Nadia glanced over, expecting boredom, annoyance, or amusement. But he looked sympathetic, even tender. Her face heated.

“I called you because I needed some closure… it really wasn’t fair to run out on you without explanation. I must have seemed crazy.”

“The word did cross my mind,” Jonathan said. “I was hurt and angry, but that didn’t last. I was calling you to apologize. I came on pretty strong.”

“Well… I did say I liked games.” He really was attractive, she thought. For the first time, she smiled.