Waiting

She yanked the yellow sheet, tucked it under the fourth corner, and gently set the mattress back down into the crib. Ran her fingers alongside the spines of Goodnight Moon, Guess How Much I Love You, and Dear Zoo on the way out. Admiring her work, she said a prayer, imagined for a moment what life could be like, and turned off the light.

That door wouldn’t open again until she got the call.