It was an idyllic scene – but behind the counter, Laurie tapped her toes impatiently. She had already been late to pick Mia up twice that week – and it was just her first week back after summer break.
Being late for pickup wasn’t exactly the end of the world, considering that her aunties were there and she was just playing at the park with her cousins… but still. She didn’t want to set a precedent.
Laurie wanted her daughter to know that she was still her first priority, even if the bookshop took up most of her time lately.
The older woman wandered out without having found anything, and the tourists left without their guidebook.
Laurie didn’t care.
She put up herBack in 15 Minutessign and strode out into the afternoon heat, hurrying around the corner and down the street for pickup.
After a full day inside, most of it spent staring at her computer screen, she relished the open air. A strong breeze carried the heady smell of good earth and growing things, with just a hint of salt from the sea.
It felt so good to be outside and moving that she broke into a jog, picking up speed as she passed the Thai place, the grocery store, and the shave ice shop.
Laurie was sprinting by the time she reached New Horizons Community Center, running for the sheer joy of it. She slowed down when she reached the lush green grass of the park.
Mia was on the playground with her friends, oblivious to the precise time or whether her mother was late or early. She saw Laurie and waved, but then dived straight back into the game that she was playing.
Laurie stretched her arms above her head, trying to work out the aches and stiffness caused by too many days inside. The bookshop was doing well, but she worked seven days a week keeping it afloat – and all that in addition to her freelance work online.
Even with low living expenses – the rents for both her shop and her little cottage were flexible, thanks to the kindness of the women who owned them – life as a single mom and small business owner could be exhausting.
At the end of the day, though, she was always a pleasant sort of tired. And she could curl up in the room that she shared with her daughter feeling completely at peace.
Working two jobs on top of solo parenting was a lot, but shewould carry much heavier burdens than those if it meant not sharing a home with an angry man.
She valued her peace too much to ever relinquish it again.
“Laurie!” Anne walked up from the parking lot and gave her a hug.
How are you?Laurie asked her sister.
Good,she signed back. “I’m in a bit of a rush today. I have guests on their way from the airport, so I just need to grab Pete and go.”
I get it.
“I suppose you need to rush right back to the shop?”
Laurie nodded.
“Can you and Mia come down to the house for dinner?” she asked. “Oakley’s coming over. We’re going to make a big pot of curry.”
Sure. Thanks.
“Okay.” Anne kissed her cheek. “Love you. See you later.”
She went to pull a reluctant Pete away from the game of tag that the kids had going. They headed to the car, and Laurie waved to Mia.
Five minutes?Mia asked from the play structure.Please?
One minute,Laurie said.Then we need to go.
As she stood waiting, a strange man walked towards her. He was tall and lanky, and the way he stared directly at Laurie made her uneasy. His mouth was already moving as he approached, saying something that she didn’t catch.
Laurie reached up and turned her hearing aids on. They mostly made her feel overstimulated rather than decreasing her overwhelm, so she kept them off more often than not – but they did help to supplement her lip reading when she was speaking to a stranger.
“Sorry.” He was exaggerating his words now, which didn’t make things any easier, and he said the word with a smarmy smile that showed no real contrition. “I said, you’re Mia’s mom, right?”
