Page 65 of The Wish List
I pulled off my pass and flung it on the floor. I rushed to my little office, grabbing the few things I had. A picture of AJ. A pencil holder he’d made me for Christmas. A couple of small items. I didn’t have much. Ms. Wells stood in my door, watching me, her gaze cold and unfeeling. I ignored her, adding my shoes to the bag and pulling on my boots and coat. I felt ill and wanted to cry, but I refused to let her see.
I didn’t touch the work on my desk or the computer. I pushed past her, and she followed me to the door. I blinked away the moisture building, grateful not many people were around to see this, and I walked out the front door, the icy cold temperature and the snow hitting me in the face.
I couldn’t think of what had just happened. I had to get my son and make it home. That was my priority. I would call the owner of the company and try to tell my side of the story later. I would let my old boss know what had happened. Maybe he could help find me another job. I knew I could never work for that woman again.
Then I put aside all other thoughts and headed to the day care.
* * *
AJ and I stumbled into the apartment, cold and shivering. The temperature had dropped, the buses were crammed full, and we’d had no choice but to walk after two buses passed by us so full, people were jammed against the door. Normally, it was about twenty minutes, but with the snow and wind, plus the ice everywhere, it took longer. The apartment felt warmer than the outside but not by much. I hung our wet coats in the bathroom, and we changed into dry clothes. I found a note under my door from Mrs. Watson saying her son had come and gotten her and she would be staying with him. “Use anything you need,” her note read.
Her dryer would come in handy, but first, we needed to warm up.
AJ huddled on the sofa, his eyes big as the heavy snow hit our window. I made a cup of coffee and sat beside him, needing a moment to gather my thoughts. I turned on the TV, the local news broadcasting the weather warnings and the city asking people to stay off the streets. Buses were no longer running, malls were closing, shelters were already full, and only essential services would be available.
I had tried to call Asher, but the call went straight to voice mail. He was in Kingston at an all-day meeting, and I wasn’t sure he would make it back to town, given the weather. AJ and I were on our own.
I heard the sudden loud clunk that indicated the heating had gone out, and I shut my eyes. My head was spinning. I had lost my job, we had no heat, Asher wasn’t around, and it was only AJ and me. It couldn’t get much worse. I struggled to stay calm, deciding to push aside the job crisis until this one was over.
I plugged in the heater in the living room, deciding AJ would sleep with me out here so we could both stay warm. I heated some soup and made sandwiches, the routine helping to soothe me. We had gone through winter storms before and been fine. We would be again.
After we ate, I handed AJ a cup of cocoa and a plate of cookies I had made last week and sat beside him. The lights in the apartment flickered, the TV died, and suddenly we were thrust into darkness.
“Momma?” AJ asked, sounding scared.
“It’s okay, baby. We lost power for a few minutes. It’ll be back on soon,” I assured him. “I’ll light a couple of candles.”
Once they were lit, I set them on the coffee table and added another blanket over us. I checked my cell, not surprised to find I had no service. I had a cheap pay-as-you-go, and at times, it was unreliable. This was such an instance. I pulled AJ close and kissed his head.
“We’ll just wait for the power to come back on, baby.”
“Okay.”
As time passed, I longed for Asher. If he were here, I would feel so much better, but I couldn’t get hold of him. This storm had caught us all by surprise. I imagined him in a small motel in Kingston, pissed off he couldn’t reach me, upset that he wasn’t with us. He would know what to do.
I wondered if the whole city was without power, and I stood and peered out the window. I could see lights in the distance, so I knew it was probably the street or maybe only this building.
The power would be back soon, I told myself, cuddling beside AJ again. Using the candlelight, I picked up a book, and read to him, not surprised when he fell asleep, a heavy weight pressed against me.
Alone, the worries filled my head. No heat. No power. Nowhere to go. I had little cash on me, and I had no idea if ATMs were working or how badly the storm was affecting the city. I carefully eased away from AJ and searched the cupboard, finding the small, battery-operated radio I had. The temperature in the apartment was dropping quickly, and I fretted, wondering how long we could stay here, but unsure where to go.
I wondered if I took AJ and went to Asher’s building if the doorman would let me in. We always entered with him through his private entrance, although the doorman had seen us leave together to go to the park. I thought of calling Asher’s sister to see if she could help me by contacting the manager there, then I recalled my phone wasn’t working.
I was stuck.
I rubbed my head, willing myself to stay calm. I had to make it through the night and hope by morning things were better. The news on the radio was bleak, the announcer saying more snow and ice were expected. Temperatures were still dropping. They advised people to stay off the roads, stating traffic lights were down all over town and electrical outages were affecting some areas.
I shut my eyes, my fear taking hold.
Then I heard it. Heavy footsteps coming down the hall. A knock at my door and a voice I was desperate to hear calling my name.
“Rosie! Open the door—it’s Asher.”
I raced to the door, stumbling around furniture, flinging it open.
Asher filled the doorway. “How…?” I gasped.
“Thank God you’re safe,” he said, pulling me into his arms.
