If her mom had made this same choice, she may never have been born. Her mom might have survived though. Alan, Dr. Shepherd, Lacy, those whose paths had crossed hers, might have lived too.

As dark as these thoughts were, that crept and crawled through her heart, there was an upside to her decision. If there was no love and no children for her, then Nem would take compensation in everything else life offered.

First order was to move to another city to avoid bumping into Greg or his friends. This place held too many sad memories, anyway.

Her working life had been as a freelance data entry operator, which took her to various companies. Temporary suited her. No need to connect because she wouldn’t stay long enough to be noticed. The repetitive nature of keying information became a good place to lose herself. Now she wanted a fresh start, and that included a change of career.

After studying a map of the country, she decided Deering, only a two-hour drive north, was a good city, with 1.2 million inhabitants, every one of them strangers. This time she’d keep them all strangers. No need to worry if luck smiled upon her in finding an apartment or employment. Things always worked out for her.

She found a smart, two-bedroom place, a thirty-minute commute into the city, with a lovely view of a small park. The neighborhood had a nice mix of cafes, shops and happy people. As they passed each other in the foyer, neighbors said hello, and so she said hello. And that was enough.

Job hunting proved more of a challenge. As she cast an eye over the classifieds, she realized the advertisements didn’t give her the important facts. Did their employees mind their own business? Would they leave her alone? Could she be ignored and still find satisfaction in her work?

Disappointment had begun to filter in to her thoughts, until a job’s headline caught her attention. She put down her coffee and began to read, growing more excited with each line.

Do you love books?

Yes, she did. To escape into other worlds gave her a chance to experience a normal life. Within the pages, she stepped into other lives and enjoyed the freedom to connect on a human level, without fear some terrible event might occur.

She read further, growing more excited with each sentence.

Help us make our little bookstore the city’s favorite. We are looking for a sales clerk to help with inventory, stocking shelves, pricing and, when needed, assisting customers. You will start in the stockroom but not for long, with the right attitude. Contact Diane at (301) 754 3014.

To talk books as part of your job sounded fun, in fact, perfect. She practically bounced in her chair at the thought, but a niggling worry tugged at her. The interaction with a store filled with people might prove difficult, even dangerous. What if she landed an angry customer? Or the boss annoyed her? Or she awoke in a bad mood and…? What if? What, damn well if?