Right Time, Wrong Place

Part 1

The sun was shining on a cold winter day. Colorado is known for their bright winter days. This was the favorite time of year for Karina Corona. She loved the state that she grew up in. She loved the neighborhood. Even though it is not the safest, she loved the people around her. Growing up, she knew that there was a passion in her heart to help those in need in her community. She wanted to make a difference, be the light to those that needed it most. Karina went to college and got her master's in social work. Eventually she went on to get her LCSW and began working for a community organization that gave therapy and support to men and women that were getting out of the streets and gangs. Karina was living her dream job.

Karina slowly got out of bed. She loved the routine of getting ready for a new day. She got in the shower and let the warm water run down her head and body. She quickly showered and got out. She did her hair and wore light makeup. As she got ready, her phone rang, signaling the call of someone special.

"Buenos dias mi amor" Diego said.

She smiled, "Hey babe. Why are you up so early?"

Diego was her long-term boyfriend. Too long term she would always say. They met through an online dating app. Ever since; they had been inseparable. They have been dating for three years. And while Karina was ready for the next step, Diago didn't seem to be. Diego was completely different then Karina. Diego took the hard labor route. He was a construction worker for a big company in Colorado. He loved building buildings from the ground up. He enjoyed the long hours under the sun, whether the days were hot or cold.

"Just wanted to say good morning. Now you know how I feel when you tell me to call you on my way to work at 5AM." he said.

Karina shook her head. "Babe go back to sleep, this is your only day off. Ecko, has you working so much." Ecko was the name of the construction company that Diego was working for.

"I know, but I just wanted to say that I love you, and I will see you later tonight." he said.

"Sounds good babe, I love you too." Karina blew him a kiss and hung up.

For a while, Karina had zero interest in love. She was hyper fixated in her career. She wanted to be someone big. Someone that would make a difference. Loving someone was just going to get in the way.

Diego was a different story. When Diego laid eyes on Karina, his first thought was that he had to do whatever he could to be with her. He constantly messaged her on the dating app. Even after Karina had lost interest and stopped responding. Even so, Diego won Karina's heart. He made sure to learn about her interests, to be able to have her enjoy the things he did with him. Diego learned that Karina's family was very traditional. They would not allow Karina to do things like spend the night with him or go on trips with him. As strange and dramatic as it seemed, Diego respected her parents' decisions. Eventually, Karina's parents were receptive to her spending more time with Diego.

Karina put her phone down to finish getting ready. Her boss had mentioned to her that she would be getting a new client. Someone that used to live in the same neighborhood she grew up in. This excited Karina, she loved helping those that she had a deeper understanding with.

Karina eventually made it to her car. She got in and drove off. She made it to the big building where she worked. As she walked in, she was greeted by everyone. Karina was well known, respected and liked at her office. She was the one with the highest success rates, the one that was good at de-escalation when needed. Karina was the go-to person for support.

Karina walked into her office and placed her stuff down. She grabbed her lunch and walked over to the staff break room. She opened the fridge and placed her stuff inside.