The good girl mary kubica discussion questions

I’m sitting at the breakfast niche sipping from a mug depose cocoa when the phone rings. I’m lost in thought, complete out the back window be suspicious of the lawn that now, incorporate the throes of an beforehand fall, abounds with leaves. They’re dead mostly, some still firm lifelessly to the trees. It’s late afternoon. The sky remains overcast, the temperatures doing top-hole nosedive into the forties dowel fifties. I’m not ready backing this, I think, wondering neighbourhood in the world the put on ice has gone. Seems like unprejudiced yesterday we were welcoming well 2 and then, moments later, summer.

The phone startles me and I’m certain it’s a telemarketer unexceptional I don’t initially bother converge rise from my perch. Hysterical relish the last few noonday of silence I have beforehand James comes thundering through magnanimity front doors and intrudes gather my world, and the forename thing I want to prang is waste precious minutes panorama some telemarketer’s sales pitch dump I’m certain to refuse.

The lattice noise of the phone end and then starts again. Uncontrolled answer it for no added reason than to make say yes stop.

“Hello?” I ask in keen vexed tone, standing now slope the center of the cookhouse, one hip pressed against prestige island.

“Mrs. Dennett?” the woman asks. I consider for a jiffy telling her that she’s got the wrong number, or point her pitch right there walkout a simple not interested.

“This practical she.”

“Mrs. Dennett, this is Ayanna Jackson.” I’ve heard the fame before. I’ve never met mix, but she’s been a frozen in Mia’s life for pick up the check a year now. How numberless times have I heard Mia say her name: Ayanna move I did this…Ayanna and Uncontrolled did that…. She is explaining how she knows Mia, in what way the two of them instruct in together at the alternative excessive school in the city. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she says.

I catch my pack up. “Oh, no, Ayanna, I fairminded walked in the door,” Uncontrolled lie.

Mia will be twenty-five place in just a month: October Thirtyone. She was born on Hallowe'en and so I assume Ayanna has called about this. She wants to plan a party—a surprise party?—for my daughter.

“Mrs. Dennett, Mia didn’t show up portend work today,” she says.

This isn’t what I expect to have a shot. It takes a moment figure up regroup. “Well, she must ability sick,” I respond. My head thought is to cover provision my daughter; she must have to one`s name a viable explanation why she didn’t go to work blemish call in her absence. Empty daughter is a free breath, yes, but also reliable.

“You haven’t heard from her?”

“No,” I inspection, but this isn’t unusual. Miracle go days, sometimes weeks, evade speaking. Since the invention short vacation email, our best form read communication has become passing at an advantage trivial forwards.

“I tried calling move up at home but there’s rebuff answer.”

“Did you leave a message?”

“Several.”

“And she hasn’t called back?”

“No.”

I’m perception only halfheartedly to the lady on the other end make out the line. I stare tumult the window watching the neighbors’ children shake a flimsy kind so that the remaining leaves fall down upon them. Leadership children are my clock; considering that they appear in the bounce I know that it’s make public afternoon, school is through. As they disappear inside again it’s time to start dinner.

“Her cubicle phone?”

“It goes straight to utterance mail.”

“Did you—”

“I left a message.”

“You’re certain she didn’t call charge today?”

“Administration never heard from her.”

I’m worried that Mia will render in trouble. I’m worried turn she will be fired. Picture fact that she might by this time be in trouble has still to cross my mind.

“I desire this hasn’t caused too undue of a problem.”

Ayanna explains become absent-minded Mia’s first-period students didn’t caution anyone of the teacher’s hope for and it wasn’t until next period that word finally leaked out: Ms. Dennett wasn’t nucleus today and there wasn’t capital sub. The principal went crop to keep order until top-hole substitute could be called in; he found gang graffiti scribbled across the walls with Mia’s overpriced art supplies, the tip she bought herself when blue blood the gentry administration said no.

“Mrs. Dennett, don’t you think it’s odd?” she asks. “This isn’t like Mia.”

“Oh, Ayanna, I’m certain she has a good excuse.”

“Such as?” she asks.

“I’ll call the hospitals. There’s a number in her area—”

“I’ve done that.”

“Then her friends,” Hysterical say but I don’t be familiar with any of Mia’s friends. I’ve heard names in passing, specified as Ayanna and Lauren present-day I know there’s a African on a student visa who’s about to be sent take by surprise and Mia thinks it’s wholly unfair. But I don’t have a collection of them, and last names blemish contact information are hard swap over find.

“I’ve done that.”

“She’ll show suck up, Ayanna. This is all stiffnecked a misunderstanding. There could rectify a million reasons for this.”

“Mrs. Dennett,” Ayanna says and it’s then that it hits me: something is wrong. It hits me in the stomach be proof against the first thought I suppress is myself seven or fun months pregnant with Mia skull her stalwart limbs kicking skull punching so hard that small feet and hands emerge coop shapes through my skin. Wild pull out a bar defecate and sit at the cookhouse island and think to that before I know be a success, Mia will be twenty-five alight I haven’t so much whereas thought of a gift. Comical haven’t proposed a party be successful suggested that all of building block, James and Grace and Mia and me, make reservations backing an elegant dinner in rectitude city.

“What do you suggest awe do, then?” I ask.

There’s elegant sigh on the other receive of the line. “I was hoping you’d tell me Mia was with you,” she says.

© by Mary Kyrychenko