"Look, mom, I have to go, I'm already late for work as it is, I'll talk to you later OK!?" She hung up the phone, put the cup in the sink. On her way out to the car she grabbed the car keys, and glanced in the mirror to fix her hair. She held her own gaze, sighed, and went out through the door.

Her car was a crackled deep green Toyota that her friend Mark had helped her find. It didn't always start on the first try but usually got her to work on time. Usually.

She turned into the parking lot, music streaming from the one working speaker. She pulled the keys out of the ignition, locked the car, and hurried into the store.

"Hey Callie! Car wouldn't start?"

"Five tries and a tantrum later." Callie replied; offering a smile.

She went into the employee locker room, or it wasn't as much a locker room as it was a cupboard with some hangers, a fridge which was rarely used, and a small table crammed in the corner surrounded by a few chairs. She put on her work clothes. Why couldn't they have a more uplifting color than gray and white she wondered as she put up her black hair in a pony tail.

At lunch time, Callie went outside to eat her sandwich. "Hey, Alex! Didn't feel like sitting in the cupboard with Smelly-Ray and the rest of the gang?"

He rolled his eyes "What do you think?!"

She smiled then sat down facing Alex, and started eating her sandwich. He offered her his bag of chips. She took some. "So, are you ever getting out of here?"

He sighed as he leaned back. "Honestly, I don't know anymore. I've been telling myself it's just temporary, but when temporary turns into almost four years I don't think you can call it that anymore. Besides, I could be worse off."

"Yeah, you could be suffocating in the lunch room with everyone else!" She laughed. Her joke coaxed Alex to snort out a laugh . "Seriously though, if you really hate it you know there are possibilities if you're just willing to move."

"I know, it's just... you get comfortable. Steady income, couple of good friends, fairly nice town, a bit boring but nice. Maybe you shouldn't be afraid to settle for enough?!" Alex wasn't sure if he was trying to convince himself, or if he really did believe it.

"Mmm, tell me about it. But I don't second guess it that much anymore. My choice I mean."

"What, to come work here?"

"No, I mean moving back home when my dad died. It was meant to be temporary, as you said, but I kind of fell into this pace, helping my mother, and getting this job, you know?!"

"Yeah, I think I do actually."

Alex threw away the empty bag of chips and got up. "Well, back to work."

As she was walking into the locker room, her phone rang. "Y'ello!? Hi Mark, I'm changing as we speak. I'll be there in twenty. If my car starts."

Callie parked her car close to the bar. Another advantage of living in a small town: lots of parking space. She went in and saw Mark sitting in a booth by a window. He was fingering his beer bottle while looking outside. As she came closer, he turned his head and gave her a welcoming smile

"So, it started on the first try I take it?" He looked at his watch.

Callie cocked her head slightly to one side "What do you think!?"

Mark laughed.

"I'm glad you find it amusing" she said as she sat down. "You didn't order a drink for me?"

"Well, I didn't know when you'd be coming" He said still smiling.

Callie ordered a glass of wine. "Look, I'm very grateful for your helping me find a car, but please, I need it to be a bit more reliable. Today was the seventh time I was late for work this month, and I think Bailey is getting a bit tired of my constant excuse of 'the car wouldn't start', not to mention the fact that I'm practically always late for work."

"There is an easy way to solve that you know"

"You helping me to fix the car?!"

"I was more thinking you need to get up earlier" Mark laughed again.

"Ha. Ha. Not funny." Callie smiled. "Fine, if you wont help me, I'll just have to go to Smelly-Ray and ask him."

Mark raised his eyebrows. "Fine, I'll help you. I wouldn't want you to suffer that much."

They continued their random bantering for a while. Callie was still on her first glass of wine, and Mark on his second beer when he looked at her and asked her if she was getting any.

"Well don't be shy or anything" Callie said as she put her glass down.

"Have you ever known me to be shy?"

"Fair enough" she said as she repositioned herself in her seat. "I guess my last sensual experience was last week at the hairdressers, when she washed my hair."

Callie had a serious look on her face, but Mark laughed so hard, he almost tipped his beer over.

"Are you serious?!" He asked.

Callie gave in and smiled "Well, half serious."

They drank up and went outside.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Mark asked.

"No I'm fine, besides I need to drop by my mother's. I promised her I'd talk to her later today, but I completely forgot about it."

"OK. Goodnight then"

"You too."

They hugged and went their separate ways.

Callie unlocked the door to her mother's house and called out as she closed it behind her. No one answered, so she went into the kitchen. No one there. She went into the living room, then walked upstairs to see if maybe her mother had gone to bed already. But no one there either. She walked back downstairs, stood in the hallway looking at the shoes and jackets hanging there. She looked towards the back of the house. When she walked outside on the patio she saw her mother sitting in a chair drinking a cup of tea.

"There you are. I looked for you everywhere. Didn't you hear me calling"

"I'm sorry darling. You know my hearing isn't what it used to be, and the door was closed."

Callie gave her mother a hug and sat down in a chair beside her. Callie tried to shake off how the nervous feeling she had gotten when her mother had not answered. It wasn't like her mother was sick, or even very old, but her father hadn't been that old either.

"Did you have a good day at work?" Her mother asked.

"It was fine. I did get in late again though."

"You need to get that car fixed honey, it's not good to be late for work. You want to keep your job don't you?"

Callie didn't answer right away.

"Don't you?!" Her mother repeated.

"Yes, of course I do. It's just..."

"It's just what?"

"Nothing. I promise I'll have it looked at. Mark said he would help me."

"Well, maybe if he had helped you find a decent car from the start he wouldn't have to help you with it now." Her mother put her cup down with a clink.

"At least I have a car. It would be difficult to have a job if I didn't." Callie sighed, and leaned her head back against the chair. She closed her eyes.

"You could always ride a bike." Her mother suggested.

Callie looked up at her mother, and saw she was smiling, so Callie snorted and said she would consider it.

"Which reminds me. Can I stay her tonight? Me and Mark had a drink so I can't drive home and it's closer for me to walk to my car in the morning from your place. And we don't want me to be late now do we?!" She added and smiled.

Her mother looked at Callie and said "No we don't."

Callie woke up the next morning to the sound of the alarm. I hate mornings, she thought. She threw of her comforter and went to the bathroom. She heard her mother moving around downstairs in the kitchen. That was the best thing about staying at her mother's place, having someone making breakfast for you.

Callie put on her clothes and went into the kitchen where her mother was making: "Pancakes?!"

Her mother looked up and looked at Callie over her glasses.

Callie continued "How come you're making pancakes? You almost never make pancakes."

"Almost never. This morning I am" Her mother put two pancakes on a plate and handed it to Callie.

"Well, for the record, I'm not complaining" Callie said as she poured sirup on her short stack.

As she started eating, she noticed her mother seemed to be a bit uneasy. Her mother opened her mouth like she was about to say something, but then changed her mind and went back to whatever she was doing. Callie didn't feel like asking her if something was wrong so she finished her pancakes and thanked her mother for breakfast.

As she was putting her plate into the sink, the real reason for the special breakfasts revealed itself.

"Honey, I just wanted to say I didn't mean to criticize you last night, or Mark. He's a good friend, and I was just feeling a bit grumpy last night. It must be the age.

"It must" Callie agreed, but smiled to herself. Her mother had always had a grumpy streak, unlike her father, who was usually the one who could make her mother get over her grumpy-ness. I guess it shows more often now that he's not around anymore.

"And don't worry about it mom, I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Callie got to her car, and she felt this was going to be a good day. Mostly because her car started on the first try. "Yes! I love you" Callie shouted.

Indeed, today was going to be the start of something new.