Linda Fuchs

CHOICES

The weather forecast that morning was abominable: seven inches of snow followed by sleet and icy rain. How am I going to get to the grocery? Alice asked herself. Her cupboards were all but empty.

Her husband had died in the factory explosion six months previously. The company went out of business immediately after, so there were no benefits to be had. She barely made it from one payday from her part time job at the library to the next; and had to wait for today's paycheck to hit her bank before she could buy food.

Alice had been very depressed of late. The doctor said it was a chemical imbalance triggered by her husband's death, but that didn't make her feel any better. He had prescribed some anti-depressant pills – Depakote she thought – but didn't have the money to get them.

The grocery store was ten miles down gravel roads and there were two single lane bridge crossings. She fired up the old K car and headed into town. It was slow going, sort of like swimming in Jello. The car slid back and forth, sometimes threatening to slide all the way into the ditch.

I wish I had been able to put new tires on this heap! she thought gloomily – the same old worn out story, never enough money.

She approached the first bridge. It was of the old style, raised higher than the ground, made of wood and had no railings. She gently eased the car onto the wood slats. The rear tires spun, trying to get just a little traction. Alice pushed the gas pedal down, hoping a little more "oomph" would do the trick.

Suddenly, one rear tire took hold and pushed the K car onto the bridge cockeyed, like a three legged dog running. Alice spun the steering wheel in the opposite direction as she was taught, but she over corrected. The car shot off the bridge and landed face first in the frothing, frigid water. It started to sink.

Alice thought, I should probably unhook my seat belt and try to get out of here. On the other hand, I hear drowning is not a bad way to go. I could just let the water come in. Everyone would think it was just an accident and Mother wouldn't worry that her little girl ended up in the fiery abyss of hell – as if she weren't already there.

Linda Fuchs graduated Magna cum laude from Kent State University with a major of Computer Science. She states that she is one of the lucky ones that are ambidextrous and believes having a brain that works like that helps her to be both technical and creative. Linda's first book The Midnight Ramblings of an Insane Woman was published in 2006 by Publish America. Her second book Life's Complexities was published in 2010. Her third book Healing Times was published in 2014. She has also had more than 80 poems published in various literary journals.