I turned off my laptop, then plunked down on my couch and turned on the TV. I needed to formulate a plan and get this done before I changed my mind. I landed on some random sitcom and zoned for a while, thinking about what my options were, but the week of long rehearsals caught up with me, and I fell asleep.

GRACE

I AWOKE EARLIER than I’d planned Sunday and snuggled lower under the covers, the sound of steady rain reminding me of Chicago. It was my second full day alone at home, and I was grateful for the solitude. After bringing me back from the hospital nearly two months ago, Jane, Missy, or one of the girls from church had been around 24/7 treating me like the Queen of Sheba. It was fun to have a personal attendant, and sometimes two, but it didn’t take long for my pride to be irritated at the idea of not being able to take care of myself.

The bruises were gone, the scratches mended, and my arm finally out of its cast. I’d been given a walking cast on my last visit to the doctor; he hoped that within another week or so I’d even be free of that. I was champing at the bit to be back to normal, and my patience for hobbling around was quickly growing thin.

I’d spent most of the previous day with my laptop actually on my lap as I reclined on the couch, going over my budget and trying to figure out how the heck I was going to afford a new car. Obviously it would be anything but new; with the small amount I had saved, I’d be lucky if I could afford a decent bicycle. A woman from church had called when I’d first come home from the hospital, asking if I was in need of financial assistance. While it was true that money was tight, I’d been reluctant to accept their help; my independence and pride were still too stubborn for me to take what I saw as a handout. I had a feeling I could figure it out on my own if I just went over the numbers enough.

I slowly sat up and stretched as I pondered what I’d do for the morning. I’d been back at work for a week, having eased myself back in with the long-term sub taking the afternoons, so there was a mile-high stack of papers to be graded. I knew I should dive into that, but the thought of grading math problems and history tests at eight in the morning on a weekend was just too much. I elected instead to have a very long shower and a very leisurely breakfast and then see how I felt.