When the work week was over and Saturday finally rolled around, I decided to wake up a little early. Even though it was my day off, I still had a lot of things to do. My parents, who lived on the other side of town from me, were having a BBQ. It was always a huge event and it only seemed to grow every year. Half the town would end up making an appearance. Some I'm pretty sure only came for the free food, but others were genuinely interested in keeping in touch with my parents.My dad was an active member of the town's Gentleman's Poker Society and my mother went to every Ladies' Bridge Club meeting. The poker games were real, but the bridge games were just a means to gossip and plan out the lives of everyone else in the town. All the important people in town were members, which meant that despite having a strange daughter, my parents were pillars of the community and that everyone knew who they were.The thought crossed my mind that this might be my dad's last BBQ and my ribs tightene

After taking the five minute drive across town, I pulled through the gate and down the paved driveway that led to my parent's house. Their land was immaculate. My father maintained every square inch of the acre around his house with amazing diligence. The grass on either side of the driveway was trimmed better than a soldier's haircut and the fence the surrounded the home was spotlessly white. My dad took pride in a well-maintained home. He always said that “Your home is the best representation of yourself.” If that saying were true, then I wondered if I actually was a small and rickety old woman whose hinges creaked when the wind blew, just like my house did. I was surprised to see how many cars were parked around the house. I knew there were going to be a fair amount of people, since these gatherings grew every single year. However, I didn't expect this many. There must have been thirty cars on either side of the driveway, which had become overflow parking because the spots around

The weekend went by far too quickly and Monday morning was there before I knew it. Luckily, I loved my job, so it wasn't like it was the worst thing in the world to have to get up and go to work. I just wished I could have slept in a tiny bit longer, that's all.When I got to the office, I parked in my usual spot, right next to Donna's big red farm truck. I got out and then glanced at my reflection in the window of my car, making sure that I looked okay before heading in.I looked pretty good today. My curly hair wasn't frizzing too badly this morning despite the humidity, and it was mostly contained by my ponytail. I had light eyeliner and mascara on so that my blue eyes actually looked like eyes rather than getting lost in my face.“Oh good Hannah, you're here,” Donna said, as I stepped in through the front doors. The waiting room was empty, which never boded well. Empty waiting rooms meant that fate was going to give us emergencies.“Good morning.” I smiled a little apprehensively

That night, I found myself completely exhausted. I ate a bowl of soup with some homemade banana bread and attempted to stay awake to watch my favorite reality show. Within minutes, though, my eyelids became heavy. I could hardly keep them open long enough to get up and turn off the television. I somehow managed to find the remote, and once the television was off, I sat back down on the couch. I wrapped myself in a blanket that my grandmother had knitted for me as a graduation gift for getting through nursing school. My tiredness, combined with the warmth of the blanket, made me even more drowsy. As soon as I closed my eyes, I was asleep.I had no clue how long I'd been out before a knocking came on the front door of my house. It was loud and sounded urgent, echoing off the walls. It caused me to wake up and wearily look around. When I glanced over, I noticed that the moon was shining its pale light through my windows.It must be at least midnight, I thought. Who could that be?After w

“You sure you want to know about my whole life?” he asked.“Sure. Especially since I already know the first eighteen years of it,” I said.I thought of all our lab time together as I taught him biology. He was so quick to learn. It had started out with awkward silences, but with every class spent together we talked more.I'd learned about how his parents had grand plans for him, but had never bothered to ask him what he wanted. He wasn't sure himself back then, but he knew he wanted out from under them. It was a big part of why he was always getting into trouble.Dr. Mathews smiled and for a moment I caught a glimpse of the Jacob I once knew.“Let's see. I got into a community college just outside of Des Moines and earned my associates there. Transferred to Iowa State, and got my bachelors in biology.”“Biology?”“You inspired me,” he replied. His blue eyes crinkled in a smile. “So, thanks for that. Anyway, I went to Medical School. Did my residency in Denver. Got a job there. And I a