The Path Not Taken

Chapter 1: Monday Morning

The alarm chimes angrily into Kate's eardrum as the autumn sun pierces through her half open eyes, shattering the remaining moments of peace and tranquility.

It's time to peel the warm duvet off and greet another day. Another week. Another Monday. Ugh.

As Kate steps out of bed - stretching and yawning, feeling every day of her 43 years - and onto the cold wood floor, she hears her husband's snores coming from the office down the hall.

Rick often gave Kate a "head start" to bed these days so she could drift off to sleep - sleep that often came difficultly at the end of another day of the heavy mental load of being a working mother in 2023 - without his snoring directly into her ear and brain. Unfortunately, the head start generally wound up being Rick spending an entire night on the small love seat in their home office.

His home office? Rick had recently taken a remote supervisor position with his company and the man cave he'd always wished they'd had room for in their old house had morphed into his office when they moved into their new home with a bonus room a year ago. The large flat screen TV with surround sound system and multiple accompanying game consoles was mounted on the wall almost before his desk and computer were set up.

Monday through Friday during business hours the man-cave- office could be all his, but Kate also had her desk and bookshelf in that office. She had her pet projects - blogging, digitizing her old CD's...- and the old glider from when the girls' had been babies now sat directly in front of the large window which took up one entire wall of the room. In the evenings - after dinner but before the chaos of homework and showers and lunch making - she would curl up in that old, comfy, reliable glider and watch a beautiful sunset from that vantage point or read until her eyes grew heavy.

Opening the door to the office, she confirms that Rick is, in fact, sprawled across the love seat, arms and legs hanging off the small couch. He's almost too sweet - despite the snoring - to wake up. Almost.

"Rick? Rick! It's 7:05," she says as she opens the blinds to allow the sun to pour into the room and aid in her attack on his slumber.

Nothing.

"Rick. Rick! RICK!"

"What?!?" He starts sitting up, alarm on his face and in his voice as he rubs his eyes and stretches, working out the kinks in his muscles from yet another night on the couch.

Suddenly, the dog starts whining for food downstairs, signaling at least one other inhabitant of the house is awake and ready for the day.

"It's showtime!" She smiles slightly at her husband as she turns and heads down the stairs.

********************************************
40 minutes later the girls are dressed and eating breakfast at the kitchen island while Kate pours coffee into her travel mug.

"Are you ready for your vocabulary quiz?" She asks their oldest daughter, Bella.

"Yes. I'm only a little bit "anxious," the 10 year old replies, inserting one of her words into her reply.

"Clever!" Kate laughs. "And you, are you ready for soccer tonight?" She asks Bella's younger sister, Cassidy.

Cassidy - at 9, just a little over a year younger than Bella - is not the morning person her sister is. Her reply is much less confident and peppy, and she gives a small nod in reply.

Kate ruffles Cass's hair as she plants a small kiss on her cheek.

"Have a good day at school, baby girl. I love you."

That brings a bigger smile to her sleepy face, and she hugs Kate in return.

"I'll see you tonight." She says to Rick as she makes her way toward the front door.

Bella follows her and gives her a big hug and kiss as she exclaims,"Have a good day at work, Mommy!!!!"

Laughing she returns the hug and kiss and says,"I love you, Bella. Have a good day. Be safe. Come home to me."

She yells one final,"Goodbye! Have a good day everyone!" Into the house as she walks out of the house and into her car, ready (or not) to start another long work week.