Fighting tears, she ran through the night to the apartment building where Nikki lived with her mother and Telforde. It was at times like this that Janie wished she and her friends had cellular phones, but they were so expensive and only a few rich kids at school had them. So she threw pebbles way up at Nikki’s bedroom window until she appeared.

In whispered tones Janie related what had happened. Nikki joined her and they walked several blocks to the tumbledown house where Marie lived and did what they always did when one of them was hurting. They summoned Marie to her window and she slipped out the back door with the key to her family’s dilapidated RV, resting on cinder blocks at the side of the house.

The girls climbed in, got into sleeping bags and through the night as crickets chirped, they talked about how much they hated Eternity.

“One day we’ll show them all,” Nikki said from behind the red glow of her cigarette.

“How will we do that?” Marie asked.

“We’ll do something big. Something they’ll never forget.”

On the first Tuesday after she was fired, Janie’s mother was circling job ads in the Eternity Bulletin, when she was called to the country club.

Thinking it was to collect her termination letter and final pay she was surprised to find Roy Tullock in the office with her former manager, Lila Skripchuck.

At Tullock’s request, Marlene recounted what had happened the previous Saturday, carefully withholding any mention of being hungover. “I was not feeling well, I was distracted.” Tullock then asked Marlene about her personal situation, and she told him she was raising a teenage daughter alone after her husband had abandoned them. Tullock nodded, possibly reflecting on his own teenage daughter, Torrie, whom, according to local gossip Marlene had heard, was in an institution in Winnipeg.

Marlene finished and Tullock rubbed his chin.

“When I learned of your dismissal and your situation as a single mom, I was concerned,” he said. “Having a better understanding of the circumstances, young girls being a handful, we believe we rushed to judgment and that you should be reinstated. Right, Lila?”

“That’s right, Mr. Tullock.” Lila forced a smile.

“It was an accident. I should’ve been looking, too,” Tullock said. “I believe in forgiveness and second chances.”

Marlene’s gaze flicked from Lila to Tullock, realization dawning.

“Thank you, thank you both.” Marlene shook their hands.

“Yes,” Lila said. “Just be more careful. We’ll see you at the usual time tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Tullock said, “Marlene, you’d mentioned that your daughter was fourteen and babysits for Marv Lander, one of my senior managers at the center?”

“Yes, she sits for Mr. Lander.”

“Has she taken first aid and CPR courses?”

“She has.”