Sundays


One of the things Stephanie loved most about living in the Foxberry was her Sunday morning stroll to church. She walked alone, listening to the birds softly singing and the leaves crunching beneath her toes. It was calming, meditative if you will.

This morning, everyone stared. Her ear-to-ear smile made her stand out like a parrot among ravens. What was there to be so excited about on such a dreary Sunday morning? Other than the pizza specials, of course. Eyes followed her as she walked down Effugium Boulevard, but Stephanie brushed it off, attributing their gazes to her bright red hair or height.

She was early, entering an almost-empty sanctuary. She exchanged soft smiles with the minister as he rehearsed today’s sermon. Stephanie shrugged off her coat and made her way downstairs to the nursery.

“Hi Olivia,” she said as she stepped into the room.

Olivia turned around, Lysol and paper towels in gloved hands.

“Stephanie! I’m so glad you’ll be joining us this morning,” Olivia said. “The kids should be coming in soon. Did you want to pick out our story for today?”

Stephanie agreed and began thumbing through the children’s books Olivia had selected. If the World Were a Village, The Giving Tree, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

Oh. The places you’ll go. Stephanie smiled as she remembered her mother reading the famous Dr. Seuss book to her. Why was it that as a child, her dreams were permitted to soar so far, only to fall like Icarus in her teenage years?

As long as she could remember, she’d dreamed of becoming a doctor. As a child, she’d play with faux stethoscopes, examine her cats, and tell her parents to eat their veggies. To her, doctors were heroes. But in the storybooks they never tell you that being a hero comes with such a massive price tag. The minimal financial aid, the threat of drowning in student loans, the tears over stacks of paperwork. Medical school was never within reach for Stephanie.

It seemed like she’d settled for a lot less than she wanted; her receptionist position, her marriage, hell, even her apartment. Maybe it was time she started doing something for herself.

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