The One That Didn't Win...The Ending

(Alas, alack, tis the conclusion of the story. The parameters for this particular contest were that it had to be an original work 3,500 words or less, and had to encompass some aspect of the lives of women. Not my favorite topic to write around, but good practice for me.)

Figuring out Susan became my top priority. In exchange for my opinions and ideas I was offered a fairly permanent place at their dinner table. Susan was downright horrified the day she visited my kitchen with its meager provisions. Through a process of trial and elimination we discovered that she enjoyed photography in her spare time and that she was actually quite good at it. They were as much works of art as my paintings. I regularly watched the kids an hour a day when I could so that she could have some precious time to herself. Rob and I encouraged her to enter a local contest and were not the least bit surprised when she walked away with second place.

We slowly merged to a happy medium, with her being slightly more laid back and me actually having fruit, yogurt, and milk available when the girls came over for a visit. I never even flinched in the slightest when they reached up and placed their chubby little hands in mine. It somehow managed to feel natural. Like they were part of my own family. I felt happy.

Alex seemed to notice the change in me one afternoon over coffee.

"You look good, Mags. I think meeting Susan ended up being one of the best things that could have happened to you."

"Thanks, Alex. My life feels more balanced. Less isolated. I think Susan and I needed to find each other."

He studied a spot on the table, rubbing it with his finger. "Is there anyone else you need?"

I felt my cheeks grow suddenly warm as I stared at the man across from me. "You know there is."

He smiled. "Will you have dinner with me tonight, Mags? There's something I want to ask you."

I smiled in return. "I would love to, Alex. Susan and I are checking out the space for our exhibit. After that, I'm all yours."

"That's my plan."

***

"Lacy, wait for Mommy honey."

The stroller wheel caught on a small crack in the pavement. It was that small crack that managed to unhinge everything, for the moment it jostled the stroller, Jaime's pacifier bounced onto the sidewalk. Three small, individually innocuous actions combined simultaneously to produce horrific results. Susan bent for a second to retrieve the dropped pacifier. Lacy spotted a snow white pigeon on the curb just taking flight. And a delivery man in a large truck with breaks long overdue for inspection glanced down briefly to check the address of his next delivery.

There was no hesitation. I looked to Lacy, seeing the termination of light and laughter. The end of a limitless future of unrealized promise and possibility. And so I stepped over to make sure that little girl would have another day to chase whatever birds or dreams she imagined. Just like her mother. The driver never had a chance to stop as I stepped out to push Lacy out of his path. Mercifully, there was merely an explosion of light, rather than one of pain. And I could see for miles. It was more beautiful than any color I could ever mix with my own two hands. I took flight as I made my way to the warmth of the sky, before hearing a cry that temporarily pulled me back towards the dingy colors of all that lay beneath me. She deserved one last good-bye.

This is how I died.