“Enjoying your morning, babe?”
I looked up at Karen and smiled. “Yes,” I said, “The sunrise was so picturesque this morning, the colors were stunning.”
Karen
motioned for a sip of coffee from my mug, and I obliged as she looked
me over. “You gonna get dressed today?” she asked. She passed the mug
back to me then lifted her knees up to her chest one at a time,
stretching her muscles ready for her jog.
“Smartass,”
I replied. It was our long-standing joke. She knew full well I would
have a shower then dress in my typical uniform of comfortable sweats. I
was glad I didn’t have to dress to impress anyone; it was one of the
great benefits of working at home.
“I think I heard some noise from Danny’s room, but little Miss Kira is still sound asleep.”
“I’ll
go get her. Have fun!” I yelled, as Karen dashed off the porch and
jogged toward the beach, after flipping me the finger first, of course.
As
a writer, I cherished the still, quiet beauty of the sunrise, and would
get up every morning before dawn to meditate while the rest of my
family still slept. I’d sit out on the back porch, breathing in the
ocean air, drinking my coffee, and listen to the pounding waves.
Karen,
on the other hand, usually slept in, but not today. She was due in
Miami tomorrow for a photo-shoot and had to look her best. Jogging kept
her slim, even though she constantly bitched about doing it.
It
was time to play tag team. For my part, I had to make sure Danny and
Kira were up and dressed for school. Easier said than done, especially
when the two of them habitually fought me. I always made their lunches
the night before, so it never became an issue in the morning.
I
tended to Kira first, because she drained the clock of time more than
any other human known to man. I pushed open her door and saw her
blinking at me.
“Hey
there, little girl,” I whispered. She wasn’t impressed by my kindness
and pulled the puppy dog patterned covers over her head.
“I don’t wanna…” she said. Time for blackmail. I went and picked up Sammy, her favorite stuffed bunny.
“Really?
Sammy wants to get up. Look, he’s already walking into the bathroom to
wash his face,” I said, while bending over bunny’s legs and making him
walk.
“Not
without me he isn’t!” Kira yelled, jumping out of bed and running after
me. Works every time, but that’s only because she’s four. New tactics
would have to be discovered when she got older. Contemplating my other
child, I wondered what Danny was doing. Judging from the odor permeating
from outside of his room, there’d be trouble this morning.
“Danny, you functioning?” I yelled down the hall toward his door.
“Yes, I’m getting ready, Your Highness,” he shouted back.
“Thank you, my prince.” I lowered my voice when I saw Kira covering her ears.
“You’re too loud, Mommy,” she pouted.
“Sorry,
you’re right.” I knelt down to help her get dressed. “No more caffeine
for me today.” There was something so cute about her that morning. After
washing herself and brushing her teeth, she ran back into her bedroom
and pulled on her new black jeans and a pink shirt. She pretended to be a
young adult with her choice of clothing, which made me worry that she
was growing up too fast. Wasn’t she just born yesterday?
“I’m ready,” she proclaimed.
“Wait
a minute, come here,” I said. Kira ran back into the bathroom and
jumped up on the bathroom stool, so she could see herself in the mirror.
I brushed her hair until it was glossy and smooth, and then we both
looked into the mirror and flung our hair over our shoulders. “Hey,
you’re beautiful. You know that?”
“No,
you’re beautyyyfffall,” she said. We took each other’s hand and left
the bathroom. Kira placed Sammy on her bed, to await her return, and
then we walked down the hall. I knocked on Danny’s door and opened it.
“Shit, Mom, I’m getting dressed,” he chided me.
“Sorry,
sorry,” I said, averting my eyes and stepping back out of his room.
“You know I can smell it. There’s no use trying to hide it with air
freshener. Last warning.”
Danny
came over to the door and peered out, dressed in just a pair of jeans.
His long brown hair wildly disheveled. “No more, I promise. I really
mean it this time.”
“That’s good; otherwise you’ll be grounded for a month. Which means no seeing Alice.”
“I promise. I’m done with grass,” he said, cracking a smile at Kira and me.
“Okay, downstairs in five,” I told him. He disappeared back into his room and Kira looked up at me in bewilderment.
“Mommy, why does Danny not like grass?” she asked. I heard Danny laughing in his bedroom.
“It’s a long story, honey,” I said. Karen came jogging upstairs, passing us.
“Good morning, all! I’ll be in the shower,” she said, stopping to give Kira a kiss.
“You’re all sweaty, Mommy, yuck!” Kira pulled back.
“Yes,
I am, but I love you anyway!” Karen said, laughing. “And you can smell
the pot all the way down on the beach, Danny! You’re on my shit list!”
“I know, I know,” he called out.
Kira
and I made waffles for breakfast. Correction, I made the waffles while
Kira watched. Danny joined us, still looking a little rough around the
edges, but trying to hide it. He looked a bit smarter in his navy blue
shirt and had brushed his hair. I did my best to make as much noise as
possible, just to irritate him.
We
all sat at the kitchen breakfast bar and had milk and waffles. Karen
appeared, clean and dressed and, as always, in white. White jeans and a
sleeveless white top, showing just enough cleavage to distract me and
cause impure thoughts to flit through my mind. I closed my eyes and
forced myself to focus on the tasks at hand.
“Tag,
you’re it,” I said to Karen as I brushed my hand gently across her arm.
“Have a great day guys, I’m off to work. The grocery list is on the
fridge,” I told Karen, and gave Danny and Kira a kiss.
“Would you at least try to consider a different outfit?” Karen pleaded.
“No,
but I am going to take a shower.” I smiled and left for the second
floor. I showered and got dressed in a pair of cream shorts and a maroon
t-shirt. It wasn’t worthy of business attire, but compared to my usual
sloppy sweats, it was a step up. I heard the van door close and pull out
of the driveway. That was my cue to go to work.
I
poured myself a glass of lemonade and went to my office, which was my
sanctuary from the outside world. I opened the window and let the sounds
and smell of the ocean seep into the room. Once I felt in sync with my
surroundings, I turned my laptop on and typed a few sentences. In
contrast to the extremely gruesome topic, I played symphony music that
perfectly matched the crashing sound of the waves.
When
typing really fast, I tended to look at the keyboard rather than the
computer screen. After about twenty minutes of typing, I realized that
the keys were floating, swimming before my eyes. I blinked a few times
and tried to focus, but my vision became blurry. I stopped typing and
rubbed my eyes, hoping it wasn’t a migraine forming; I put my glasses
on, and tried to concentrate on the screen. Before I could begin typing
again, pain shot down my spine, making me gasp. Waves of nausea came
over me, and I knew that I would have to stop working until it passed.
At
that point, the unthinkable happened. I felt a shooting pain travel up
my left arm. Ignoring it didn’t make it stop. I thought to myself, carpal tunnel?
Surely it couldn’t possibly be anything else. I only had a few more
chapters to write and thebook would be finished, I didn’t want to stop
now.
I stood up and felt the pain deepening in my lower back. This never happened with my headaches. What the fuck was going on? I
ignored the voice in my head that told me to dial 911, and I bent over
to perform my usual morning stretches, thinking that would help. When I
lifted my head and stretched out my arms, Karen walked into my office. I
barely recognized her face. The only reason I knew it was her was the
golden haze of her curly perm and the white blur of her clothing.
“Babe, are you okay?” Karen asked.
“I
can’t see very well and I feel nauseous,” I replied. My hand reached
for her, and I knocked over my glass of lemonade. It wouldn’t be until
much later that I’d realize the damage that this one motion would cause.
I collapsed onto the floor.
“Amber!” my beloved screamed. That was the last thing I heard before the blackness engulfed me.
Amber
Tyler is living every author’s dream: her books are all best sellers
and she writes full time. She has worked hard and is well-accomplished
in her career, and she has the support and love of her beautiful
children and girlfriend.
But the dream soon turns into a
terrible nightmare when her latest manuscript is stolen. She decides to
fight for what is rightfully hers, only to find that the harder she
tries, the easier it all slips through her fingers, putting her career,
her family, and her life in jeopardy.
Genre – Thriller
Rating – PG-13
