New Beginning

It’s a new year and with it comes the appending question “What will this year bring” Like so many others, Abigail was a single mom working just to keep her and her kid’s heads ‘above the water”, so to speak. It had been a hard-last year with the divorce from her husband Dave of fourteen years. “Not that she blames him, or anything” she quietly thought, “It’s just that well, maybe it was just as much as her fault” 

The day started off like any other day with Abigail running around trying to get her four-year-old daughter Anna along with her six-year-old son DJ. (Dave Junior). Which in itself was more like a three-ring circus then how her ex-husband would of have handled it.  For him it was more of order and structure which she had to admit to herself as she took a deep sigh, was hard for her.

“Maybe what I need is to learn on how to be more organize” she thought. As little Anna was screaming at the top of her lungs “Mom……., DJ took me shoe!” “No…, mom I didn’t do it!” he yelled. As they fought upstairs in their bedroom, while Abigail was downstairs in the kitchen getting their breakfast ready so they all could head out the door by 7’o’clock. In complete frustration she yelled “Will you two stop it, right now!” As she ran upstairs determine to stop all of this fuse so they could at else eat some breakfast.

“Both of you, just stop it right now and march yourselves down to the kitchen and eat your cereal” Abigail ordered

“But mommy…, DJ took me shoe” as Anna started to cry

“Mommy..., no I didn’t take her stupid shoe” DJ yelled

“Now, just stop it!” Abigail said abruptly as she looked at DJ “Now, young man. Where is your sisters’ shoe” as she continued “And don’t lie”?

DJ walked over to the toy box and pulled out his sisters’ shoe “Here’s your stupid shoe” as he gave it to her right before he went downstairs.

“Ok, now Anna put on your shoe and come on downstairs to eat breakfast”

DJ was already eating his favorite cereal “Coca-puffs” when his mother walked in, “Now why did you hide your sisters’ shoe” she calmly asked

“I don’t know” he answered between his eating

Just then Anna came bouncing into the room, her happy little self, as she climbs up in her favorite chair to eat breakfast. 

Looking up at the clock which read 6:30 am, as Abigail gulps down a cup of coffee as she puts together her kid’s lunches. 

Grabbing her keys along with her cell phone, she ushers her children out the door all while they are putting on their coats. Buckled in, she starts her car and out of the driveway they go just like it always had been, except one thing her husband wasn’t here.

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Pulling in the driveway of her babysitter, her best friend, Margaret, as she stood at her front door waiting to welcome her little cherubs.  Getting out of her car with Anna and DJ following behind Abigail, “Good morning Margaret” Abigail said as she barely smiled.

“Good morning Abby” Margaret smiling as she greeted Anna and DJ with a hug and a kiss on their heads as they came in her home. “Come on in, Abby” with a cheerful smile.

“No, I really have to go” Abigail continued, “Bye kids” she added just before turning around and got into her car. With not much effort she headed to work, a drive that was more of a routine that bordered on “boring” than excitement. Not that it was when she first started working at the Law Offices of “Morgan and Morgan”, but that seem ages ago, when the idea of helping people was new and exciting. Now it is boring, just a job to keep her “head above water”.

Pulling in her designated spot she parks her car, reaching in the back seat for her briefcase, Abigail steps out of her car. Stopping to straighten her jacket, she puts on “a smile” just before she goes inside the office. Greeted by Ms. Susan, the receptionist “Good morning Ms. Roberts” with a hint of sarcasm. “Good morning” Abigail briefly replies as brushed past her desk on her way to her office. As she enters her office, she notices the empty space on her desk the pictured of her husband is now absent. “I really need to put something there” she muttered to herself as she sits down and boots up her computer. Immediately she goes to her email account skimming down the countless of emails, most of them spam or junk. As she is scrolling down something catches her eyes a self-help advertisement. Stopping she clicks on the email, scanning the main points and she makes a “mental note” and sends it to her private email address.

The clock strikes 9 o’clock and just like the clock in walks her boss Ms. Morgan one of the Lawyers.  It was a Law Firm where her father started the business and upon his death passed it down to both her and her brother Brad. “And between the two of them” Abigail thought “Brad was the more reasonable one” “Good morning Ms. Morgan” as Abigail greeted her giving her boss her undivided attention. “Morning” Ms. Morgan hastily said, sitting down in the chair next to Abigail’s. “Did you get a chance to write up the contract for our newest client?” “You are aware of just how important this is, right?” Before Abigail can get a chance to answer, just like that Ms. Morgan walk out the door.

Right after she left, causally walked in Brad “Morning Abigail” with a cunning smile as he took the seat in the same chair that previously his sister occupied. “So how are you doing?” he asked, not that he really cared, it was, just that she was fair game now. “I’m fine” turning her attestation back to her computer screen, pretending to be busy. With a couple of clicks on the keyboard she finds the letter in Word, the one she had been working on for the new client.

“Well,” as he looks over her shoulder, being closer than she would like “I can see that you are busy” getting up and leaves.

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Counting down the hours Abigail patiently waited for the day to end, with countless of interruptions between Ms. Morgan and her brother Brad. Soon the clock struck 5 o’clock and with that she turned off her computer and check her cell phone for any messages. Not that she had a lot of friends, it was just a habit of hers and one that she needs to break. No matter how often she wished things were different the reality was her husband left her and he’s not coming back. As she is about to leave her office in walked Brad, holding his coat “How about getting something to eat?” he teases her. “Um., I’m sorry Mr. Morgan” as she continued, “I have to get my children from their babysitters” With that she brushes past him before he gets a chance to spot her. 

Once outside she breathes in the fresh crisp air on this January day, Abigail hurries to her car when Ms. Morgan stops her in her tracks “Where are you going Ms. Roberts?” Ms. Morgan demanded. “I’m going home” she nervously answered as she held tightly onto her briefcase.

“I looked over the contact you typed up for our new clients” Ms. Morgan said, as Abigail waited for the “bottom to drop”, “You did an excellent job, well done Ms. Roberts” And with that Ms. Morgan left without saying another word. A sigh of relief escapes her lips as she opened up her car door, and gets in to head home. 

As she headed towards Margaret’s house in order to pick up her children, her mind wonder back to those days before her husband left replaying that scene for the one hundredth time. The light turned red as the car ahead of hers stop causing her to slammed on her brakes, jarring her back to reality. Soon she would pull into the driveway at Margaret’s home; in a way Abigail is looking forward for some “adult” conversation. Deep in her heart she knew that Margaret meant well with all of her advice and still Abigail just couldn’t sign the “papers” that her ex husband keeps on texting Abigail about. 

Greeted with a whiff of freshly bake chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven, Abigail inhales the delicious aroma waffling through out the house. “Why Hi, Abby girl” Margaret greeted her with a plate of cookies. “Mm mm, smells good” as Abigail took a cookie and took a bite “You are such a good baker, Maggie” Abigail said laughing.  “Well, thank you” Maggie replied with a “mock bow” Making them both break out in laughter. Anna and DJ were busy sitting at the kitchen table enjoying cookies and milk. “Hi mommy” they both chime with traces of chocolate around their mouths. Pulling Abby aside Maggie in order to speak to her in private, “how about they spend a weekend with us” After some convincing Abby agreed after all she thought it would be nice to have some time to herself to think about things. 

As Abigail came in and explain to her children that Ms. Margaret wants them to spend a weekend with her and her husband Mr. Fred. With a “Yeah” both DJ and Anna shouted with laughter. Kissing them good-byes, and hugging Maggie, Abby left for home.

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On her way home she decided to stop by the local bookstore. “After all,” she thought as she maneuvers her car in a parking space. With her purse hanging loosely over her left shoulder she opens up the front door as a bell chimes announcing her presence. A kindly older gentleman with a whiff of thinning silver hair atop his mostly bald head, as his glasses hung near the tip of his nose. He briefly looks up from the book that he is reading along enough to acknowledge Abigail. His voice crack as he said “Hi, my dear”, as he proceeds to clear his throat

“How may I help you today?”

Looking around to the rows and rows of dusty books she simply said “I’m just looking” She aimlessly walked up and down each isle, glancing at the books stopping once and twice to picked up a book or two. Most of the books were old and warned, As the older gentlemen kept on reading his book, not giving Abigail any attention. Abby’s mind went back to the advertisement she emailed her personal email address. She pulls out her cell and brings up her email until she found it “Ten Simple Steps of Origination”   

 “Excuse me, sir?” Abigail as she quietly askes “Do you have any self-help books?”

“Self-help books?” He repeated with a confuse look on his aged face.

“Yes”, as she continued, “I’m looking for a self-help book title “Ten Simple Steps of Origination”

After awhile the gentleman asked “You need some help?”

“Well, ye…. ss” “

“You look like a smart young lady”

“Um..., thank you” all awhile she kept on thinking “This was a mistake:”

As she started to head out the door, the old man said “I think that I may have the book that you are looking for, young lady” He got up from his stool and went in the back room. After some time, Abigail was growing more impatient as she looked at her watch. “Where is he?” she wondered

When he emerged from the back room, he blew the dust off the book cover and there it was “Ten Simple Steps of Organization” by an author she never heard of before. “Excuse me sir”, as she continued, “I don’t believe this is the book that I was looking for”

“Well, why don’t you just take it and see?” the gentleman said with a wink.

With hesitation she took the book, thanking him for the book, before asking what was the cost, to which he simply said “nothing”

Before Abigail was about to leave, “Excuse me sir?” as she held the book, “What is your name?”

“It’s Mr. William Gest” 

“Thank you, Mr. Gest,” then she left the old book store with her book in hand, once outside Abigail looked again at the authors name it was William Gest.

A smile came across her face. 

The End.