With a soft sigh, Laura realizes that she should get some help. If the dice roll again, she’ll be completely out of luck. She pulls out her phone and prepares to call her coworker and friend, Kaitlin. As she gets ready to make the call, she pauses. Would Kaitlin believe her? Probably not. Instead, she texts her friend.
“Kaitlin, I had a family emergency come up earlier and had to leave. Related to that, my niece Alexis needs someone to accompany her. She was going to go on the train alone and get picked up by her mom at the station, but the emergency means she needs someone to take her to her mom’s work. Can you take her? I’d do it, but I’m dealing with the emergency, too.”
Laura holds her breath as she sends the text and waits for a response. She’s sure that Kaitlin will see right through her flimsy and vague excuse. Her phone chimes.
“Sure. Should I meet your niece at the station or somewhere else?” Relieved, Laura tells Kaitlin to come to the McDonald’s she’s currently at. “Got it. You owe me one. And you better pay me back for the ticket I’m going to buy.”
“No problem.” Laura leaves the McDonald’s to wait outside. Eventually, Kaitlin arrives and walks over to her.
“Are you Alexis?” she asks. Laura nods. “Good. Come on, we’ve got a train to ride.” Kaitlin and Laura arrive at the train station and board without any issues. Laura is relieved to not have to be in the car for unaccompanied children. Instead, she sits with Kaitlin.
Laura looks out the window of the car as the train pulls out of the station. Her heart races. She’s getting closer and closer to fixing all of this.