Anita stared at her alarm clock, five more minutes until it would ring, she shut it off, then looked at the sleeping form of her husband. 'How long has it been since Don's wrapped his arms 'round me, trying to keep me in bed with him? Nowadays he'll sleep until long after I've left for work, then he'll work late and have a few beers with his friends, coming home just about the time I'm ready to head to bed.' she sighed heavily as she shrugged on her robe and put her feet in her slippers.

She passed her sons' empty rooms on the way to the bathroom and marveled that they were both away at college. 'Weren't they in Cub Scouts and Little League only a little while ago?' she asked herself.

Before her showered she tucked her hair into her shower cap, and as she looked at her reflection in the mirror she began a conversation with herself. "Well girl, are you happy with what you've got?" she asked her reflection. Her reflection shook her head. "No, I thought not. Well, let's look and see, maybe you should be counting your blessings. You're healthy, maybe carrying a few more pounds than you'd like to and with a few more aches and pains than you'd like, but not bad for your age. Your sons are not only alive; they aren't doing drugs and they aren't involved in gangs, but instead are making good grades in their college classes. Unlike 90 of your fellow police officers you're still married to the same person after more than 20 years, of course I'm not sure if that's because you're both honoring the commitment you made, or you're both too lazy to bother getting a divorce. I'm pretty sure it's not about being in love with each other any more. I'm pretty sure if I played detective around my own home, I could find grounds for divorce pretty quickly and without too much trouble." She sighed and quickly stepped into the shower.

After toweling dry Anita put her robe back on and headed out to the kitchen to make a quick breakfast before she finished dressing. When she got back to the mirror to put her makeup on she continued her conversation.

"You know, I'm not sure why I keep going to this job. It's stressful and there's no chance for advancement for me. Dietz made that perfectly clear years ago. I'm going to retire as a lieutenant; maybe I should just do it now, before I get old and bitter, and take up drinking or gambling or some other vice. I'm young enough I could go back to school and do something else, maybe go to law school, or maybe go join Lennie over at the DA's office." She frowned at her image as she made the last comment. 'Don't go there girl,' she thought to herself.

She picked up her gun and put it and her cell phone in her purse, as she got ready to leave the apartment. As she headed into the precinct, she kept asking herself two questions over and over. 'Is it time for a change? And if it is, in what direction should I go?'