Chapter 3 - The Price of Leaving
By midnight, Owen had called the service-dog agency, animal control, and Lily's therapist. None could return a dog no one could locate. Julia packed two bags while Lily sat on the stairs, counting zipper pulls under her breath. Frank said the roads were slick and offered the basement apartment. Julia refused. Staying had cost enough. They checked into a roadside motel near Joplin, where Julia's school-district paycheck barely covered three nights. Nate had died two years earlier, leaving medical debt, a truck loan, and Lily's survivor benefit. Margaret had offered free housing and "help with the forms." Julia accepted both. At 2:13 a.m., Lily woke because the heater clicked three times. She reached down for Sadie and found carpet. Julia climbed into the other bed, but Lily said, "You always tell me Grandma loves hard." The sentence landed worse than blame. Before dawn, Julia requested unpaid leave from her principal. She had chosen safety and lost the income that made leaving possible.
