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“Kate baby, Mommy needs you to hold on for just a little bit okay?” Jen tried to calm her eight year old daughter from the front seat of her car. The bottle of Pepsi that had been keeping her company for the past two hours, now laid on the floor below her seat as she squinted her eyes, gritted her teeth and hoped not to make a mess. Jen had always driven through this town en route to her parents’ farm. She knew that she had to stay in the main road in order to not get lost. There was a picturesque church with a gigantic clock at the end of the main road that she always admired, but this time around the clock served as a reminder of the time that was running out in the back seat. “I promise we’re almost there” she once again calmed her liquid retaining daughter. She took the first left turn after passing the church and prayed that she made the right decision. After a few more turns some relief came over her when she saw a gas station peep out from around the corner. The gas station attendant was visibly startled by the blue Toyota Tazz he had just seen mount a curb as it hurriedly pulled up to the station. The driver’s car door flung open as Jen rushed to unbuckle Kate’s safety belt and then ran into the garage convenience store with her. The cashier at the kiosk, who was identifiable by her name tag as Jade, ignored her as she frantically waved at her for attention. “Sorry, could you please tell me where…” Jen attempted to get a few words in before being interrupted by the voice of another woman from the back end of the queue that had formed in front of Jade. “You’re going to have to join the line” the short stocky woman informed her as she momentarily stepped out of the snaking queue to make herself seen. Jen then explained that she did not want to purchase anything; she just wanted someone to direct her and Kate to the bathroom. “Mommy” Kate said as she nervously tugged on her mother’s black t-shirt with her father’s face on it. The family created it to celebrate her father’s 70^th birthday on the farm they had bought a few years ago. Jen patted her daughter on the head to soothe her then continued to try and get the attention of the cashier who was now helping an elderly man. She could not help but feel overwhelmed that no one was willing to assist her. The woman who initially responded to her now had her hand on her hip and she stared at her defensively as if she was waiting for her to do something disapproving. There was a teenage boy in the queue as well, but she doubted that he even heard her because he had earphones in his ears and his eyes were fixed on his cellphone. “Mommy” Kate called as she tugged on Jen again but this time with enough force to get her to turn around. She saw her daughter’s tears rolling down from her eyes, over her cheeks and onto her pink t-shirt as she crossed her legs to hide her soaked khakis. It was as if all the useless customers were staring at her cub standing in a puddle of humiliation when she could feel herself transforming into a raging momma bear. “Screw all of you!” she roared as she instinctively picked Kate up and headed towards her car. When she got to her car she realized that she still needed a place for Kate to change and freshen up. She motioned for the gas station attendant to come over to her but instead he turned his head the other way. Jen could not understand what was happening. Were these people in front of her really inhabitants of the town she always admired from a distance? Were these ugly people in all of these pretty buildings? She wanted nothing to do with them. She needed to leave. Jen decided to cover the windows of her car with towels from their suitcases and stood guard as Kate changed her clothes quickly. “Mommy is really sorry this happened to you baby” Jen apologized as she leaned over the front seat and kissed her daughter on her cheek. She could see that Kate was still embarrassed by what had happened and on any other day she would have a conversation with her about her feelings, but for now they needed to leave this town. Her parents’ farm was at least another hour and a half away, so she knew that if she wanted to get there before the summer sunset she needed to leave soon. After making sure Kate was strapped in securely she started the car and pulled away from the gas station leaving only a cloud of smoke and dust behind. The quick turns from earlier proved futile as she did not manage to get Kate to a bathroom, and it had completely thrown off her sense of direction. “Mommy are we lost?” Kate asked almost intuitively after noticing that they were driving in circles for about fifteen minutes. Jen did not want to appear to be out of control and risk worrying her daughter. “No baby. Mommy just needs to remember which street. Did you remember to pack grandpa’s present?” she responded expertly in the way she had perfected lying to her daughter over the years. She first flat out lies, then covers it up with something that is kind of true, and then she distracts from the topic all together. This has been her modus operandi since Kate has been able to speak coherently and it has been the only way she could answer some of the tougher questions. When Kate asked about the whereabouts of her father, complexion of her skin, origins of babies and the amount of stars in the sky, Jen went against the advice of her own mother and decided it was best to lie until she was older. The lie about not being lost and directionless in that car could easily have been applied to her life. She could not think about it for too long she needed to get out of that town. The road she was on was relatively busy so she thought she could stop to ask someone for directions to the church she knew. As she stopped she noticed that most of the pedestrians seemed preoccupied by the errands they were running, and the few who glanced at her walked on before she could even get their attention. Just as she got out of her car a jogger stopped next to her to catch his breath. She explained her predicament to him then asked for directions to the church. He first gave her a judgmental look for the way she had parked, before he wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead. Jen could not remember that many details about his face because she was focused on the way the fading sun fell on his broad shoulders. The muscular man looked into the car to see Kate in the backseat and it was as if he grew sympathetic. Without saying anything he gestured the directions with his hands and then ran off as Jen looked at his large calves. She got into her car and drove in the snake-like directions he provided and found herself in the main road, her brown fringe blew up as she let out a huge sigh of relief. Now she had to step on the accelerator if she wanted to reach her destination before it was completely dark. The mountains still looked picture-perfect as the sun hung around the deep orange-maroon painted sky. She peeked at her daughter in the rear-view mirror and she looked like she was about to doze off. The events of the day must have been tiring for her little cub.

“No. No. No.” Jen panicked under her breath as she stomped down on the accelerator before the car came to a jerking stop. In the haste of trying to get out of this town, especially her experience at the gas station, she had forgotten to refuel. Out of frustration she grabbed one of the towels she had used to create privacy for Kate, then placed it over her own mouth and let out a muffled scream. “I am on the side of the road…at the ‘Welcome To…’ board” she tearfully explained to her father on her cellphone. He claimed that he did not know anyone in the town so the only option was for him to drive to her. Jen was really glad that her father was on his way but at the same time she had to prepare herself to spend two and a half hours in the dark with her daughter. She hoped that she did not wake up until they were well on their way. Thirty minutes later, with the sun completely gone, her cellphone dead and her anxiety at its peak she noticed a vehicle with bright lights pull up behind her. It was too soon for it to be her father so she remained seated in the car and feared for the worst. The knock on the window sent chills through her entire body and it was as if she needed to pry her head to the side just to see who it was. It was the jogger! Jen described the events of the day that led her to him earlier and ultimately now again. “I’m Kirk by the way” he formally introduced himself, and though he still did not speak that much his demeanor towards her put Jen somewhat at ease. Kirk told her that it was not safe for her to be waiting in the dark then offered a few possible solutions. He offered to take her into town to purchase the fuel, but expressed reservations about her driving alone at night. The other option was to take her into town to purchase the fuel, but then have her wait at his place until her father arrived. She chose the latter, as much as it was the rational choice, a part of her also felt really safe around him. How was it that he was the only decent person in this town?

“Make yourself at home. I’ll put on the kettle.” Kirk told her as he unlocked his front door and guided his guests into his house. It was a cozy two bedroom cottage with just enough furniture to make it appear homely. Jen placed Kate - who was still sleeping, on the black two-seater couch then she walked around in the lounge area. Kirk asked her how she preferred her coffee while preparing it in the kitchen after which he joined her in the lounge. “So have you read all of these? Or is it just a way to appear smart?” Jen teased as she browsed through his impressive book collection. He sat down on a stool next to the bookshelf and spoke about his love for literature before revealing that he actually worked at the local newspaper as an editor. “Nothing really major ever happens here. So we basically cover day-to-day occurrences, advertise local businesses, publish sports results and celebrate the great people living here” Kirk told her as he smiled proudly. “Great people” Jen scoffed sarcastically as she walked over the large window that overlooked the town’s lights. “Today I found them to be incredibly rude and unhelpful” she continued as she rolled her eyes. “I mean…all I wanted was a bathroom for my baby…and then directions. It is such a pity that all these breathtaking views are owned by people with such ignorance in their eyes” she concluded her rant, and then walked over to sit down on the single-seater couch across from Kate. “I’ll admit. We’re a special breed” Kirk joked but Jen’s face remained annoyed by everything that happened during the day. “A few years ago there was an incident where someone who was new to this town ran an underground drug trafficking ring that shook the town by its core” he began confiding in her. “The notorious leader…who has fortunately been ostracized albeit without any legal consequences…was such a laid back and friendly guy. He was the guy that would pay for your grandmother’s groceries…kiss your baby on the cheek…sponsor the local football team. He was very active in the community. Everyone trusted him.” he further unveiled as Jen listened attentively. “I guess everyone is still a little shaken up…possibly hurt and angry…because now he is living a normal life on a farm built on the destruction of their families.” Kirk admitted as he got up to take both his and Jen’s cups to the kitchen. Suddenly all the facial expressions of the people she had met that day flashed through Jen’s mind. Her frustration with how she and her daughter were treated momentarily gave way to feelings of empathy. With just the sound of the hot water running over the cups in the kitchen, she removed the jacket she was wearing and remained quietly seated in the lounge. When Kirk returned to the lounge she leaned over to her cellphone that was charging then got up to make a call to see how far her father was tracking. “It probably did not help that you were wearing a t-shirt with his face on it all day” Kirk said as he looked her dead in the eyes with a meaning she could not immediately comprehend. It was then when Kate slowly stirred on the couch because the sound of her mother’s cellphone falling into pieces on the floor woke her up.