Chapter 1

"No, it's not. Yes, it is. No, it's not. Yes-it-is." Repeated one of the teen's phones as the group of boys dragged their feet down the sidewalk, pushing one another, trying to watch the video. "Is that… Is that blood?" One boy asked. "Nah, it's dog shit dummy." A tall and stark boy said slapping the first boy on the back of the head. "There are poop bags in the background… it does seem like they're trying to tell us it's shit." The boy holding the phone said confidently. "It's chocolate." Called out the boy in the back, eating a Nutella sandwich. "No, it's not." All the boys yelled at him. "YES, IT IS." He screamed back at them. "I already read the comments." He said between bites. "Creator says so right there."

I laughed to myself quietly enjoying the boy's triumph and pushing the snow up onto the boulevard, making the snow pile even bigger for Oden, our enormous Saint Bernard. Whistling. "Come here, Oden," I call out to him, as the large dog waddles through the snow and immediately buries his whole head until it disappears into the bank. "Come on kids! Into the car please, we have to leave for school! Kid's already passed for the bus!" I place the shovel beside the front porch and whistle for Oden to come inside.

"Coming mummy!" Olivia called out as she hurried down the stairs. "Hat, boots, scarf, mitts…" I started rambling off trying to encourage them to focus. "Coat, lunch, vitamins, water…" She rambled back to me making a face. I blew her a kiss as I leaned on the stairwell. "Hey, Ryan?" I called up the stairs. "I'm coming, I'm coming." He screamed down the stairs. You could clearly hear the mess of clothes and things on the floor as he moved about the room. The closer he got, the louder the music was coming from his headphones that hung uselessly around his neck. "Really?" I asked sarcastically raising a brow. He smiled sweetly and leaned in for a kiss. I smiled when I felt his kiss on my cheek. "Sweet boy," I say to him lovingly pinching his cheeks. "I should have named you Justin," I tell him jokingly. "Not this again." He rolls his eyes at me which fuels my fire.

Walking to the car, I stand firm on my argument. "Your grandfather looked like Bieber growing up and so do you!" I push. It's not true. His hair is grown out a bit like the old haircut that trended back in the day, and he had the sweet face that started his career, but he's long since outgrown that boyish charm. I knew it bugged him, so I couldn't help myself. He's a really good kid. The car door slams from all sides and I look over my shoulder at Olivia. "Backpack? Homework? Laptop?" I ask her seriously, she nods sipping a juice box, holds up her bag, and puts my mind at ease from any further questioning. I nod at her, smile, and blow her an air kiss. I turn my attention to Ryan beside me, I do a visual check and ask, "Lunch?" He smiles and pulls the brown paper bag out of his backpack and places it back in.

I back the car up and get halfway up the road before my mind starts to ask questions again. "I know you want to be environmentally friendly and everything, but wouldn't using a reusable lunch pack be more ideal and cost-efficient?" He takes a deep breath and says to me calmly. "Not this again." Olivia is already laughing in the back seat. "I mean, I just think it makes more sense. Don't you?" Olivia nods but Ryan stands firm. "Mom, lunch bags cannot be recycled like paper can. Some of the materials are not environmentally friendly. Besides, I don't want a matching pack to go with my bag" He does have a good argument, I bought him a matching set ever since he was one. But I'm a Taurus. "I can get you an environmentally friendly one. It can be made completely of bamboo! Paper, whatever!" Ryan scuffs, "They all look stupid." He argues, "Besides, I reuse my paper bags. It IS a reusable lunch bag." I choke for a second and try not to laugh. "No, you don't!" I blurt out at him. "You get a new bag every day! By the time your old one gets home, it's all soggy and stained from whatever is floating around your lunch bag." He looks at me like I've just told him there's no Santa.

I pull into the school parking lot and park the car. "Think about it?" I ask him, putting my hand on his. He smiles at me and pecks me on the cheek before hopping out. "I love you!" I shout to him from the window. I turn back to Olivia, she smiles and pecks me on the cheek and I kiss her other cheek back. "I love you," I say to her, looking at her and feeling so proud of the woman she is becoming. "I love you too mum." She says and smiles. "Have the best day, love! I'll see you after." I tell her as she gets out. "I love you!" I scream again as she walks to the school. She waves her hand but doesn't turn. I sigh, and say "Teenagers," as I pull out of the parking lot. Snow starts to fall again and the road gets a be slick. There's a couple walking their dogs to the dog park near our home and makes me think I should have brought Oden with us.

I pull into the driveway and already there is more snow for me to shovel. I grab the shovel and start to clear it away. "Hello, Cheryl." I hear one of the neighbors talking to another. "Oh, hi Brian! How's it going?" She is dragging suitcases and making tracks in her un-shoveled driveway. "You going somewhere, Cheryl?" Brian asks her curiously watching her pack her bags into a taxi. Cheryl lights up as she answers, "Yes! I'm going to Mexico. We leave today! Real sudden, just the right timing I guess!" She tells him as she puts the suitcases into the vehicle. "Wow! Today, that is sudden! What time do you and Dan take off?" She stops and thinks a moment, carefully choosing her words. "Actually, Dan isn't coming this time. It's uh, just me. Besides, he has some things he needs to take care of here, and he'd just be bored. I told you it was for work right?" She closes the trunk and observes Brian, satisfied with her answer. "Well, best be off!" She calls out as she hops into the taxi.

I watch as they drive down the road. What a strange conversation. Mexico, suddenly? Hmm, I would love to have that kind of money. What job sends their people out to Mexico on such little notice? I thought to myself. This thought stayed with me for most of the day. I took Oden to the dog park, hoping I could get it off my mind. I hate not having answers to things, I start to come to my own conclusions. Enough of that for a day could make someone delusional. "Lisa?" I say as I walk down the path to the woman walking the short bulldog. "Oh Hi Julia!" She called back to me. "It's been quite a while, Lisa!" I give her a hug as our dogs greet one another. "Where's Tyler? Stuck in the office this week?" I ask her jokingly. Lisa raises her eyebrows and says, "Actually he's on his way to the airport. His work is sending him out to Mexico for 2 weeks. He said he only found out over the weekend. Takes off today at 3 pm."

My eyes widen, "Wow," I say. "Lucky guy! Mexico huh… for 2 weeks you say?" At this point, I am just repeating what she's saying because my mind has already raced off into a vortex of thoughts. Lisa nods and continues to talk to me about it, but I can't hear her anymore. My thoughts have become too loud and I am starting to jump to untrue conclusions. "Does he work with anyone on our street?" I questioned her, unsure if she was done talking or not. "Um, no, not that I'm aware of. Why?" She asked curiously. I try to choose my words carefully so as not to scare her with my crazy accusations. "Just curious, I overheard neighbors talking and it sounds like they were also leaving for Mexico today." Lisa nods and says, "Well it is winter! I'm sure his business is thinking the same thing. Get warm!" She laughed and then waved goodbye as she carried on down the path.

I couldn't get the thought out of my head. Could it be? Even Lisa didn't suspect a woman would be going to Mexico when she mentioned "his" company. There was just one thing to do…

I waited two weeks to see if that was when Cheryl would return home. Since I run my company from home, I arranged my front room so that I can use it as my office and I watched her house every day. It was Monday, exactly 2 weeks since they had left and the day Tyler was due home. I was on edge. Watching the house like a hawk, I couldn't eat I was so nervous. I stayed in the main room watching the house, only leaving to let Oden outside and to make coffee in the kitchen. I was on my third cup. I poured the hot water into the mug when I heard doors slamming from outside. I put the kettle down and ran to the front room. There was a taxi outside Cheryl's house, it was a van with tinted windows. I couldn’t quite tell, but it looked like someone was sitting in the back seat where she was. She opens the back and grabs her bags. There are additional bags too, brown leather with chunky straps. Looks a lot like men's luggage. "Wait" I scream as I look over the seats, a man is talking over his shoulder with a brown hoody on. "Tyler?" I whisper as if they would hear me. She closes the back and then comes around the side to say goodbye.

The taxi backs out and drives down the road toward Lisa and Tyler's home. The windows are too tinted and I can't get a visual. My nerves jolt my body into action and I scream for Oden. He meets me at the door and I quickly leash him. "Ready for a run buddy?" I ask him slipping on my runners. The door opens and we blast down the road. They're about a block or two away from our house. I am running faster than I ever have and poor Oden is struggling to remain in front. My heart pounds as we near the house. I start to slow and Oden is grateful as he takes this opportunity to poop. "No taxi," I say breathing hard. My body loosens and my muscles start to become less tense. I smile at Oden and feel free knowing that my thoughts were all they were. Thoughts. I bend over to pick up the poop with the bag and we start walking back home. "Oh, hey Julia!" a man calls out to me. I suddenly feel sick to my stomach, I turn my head slowly to look over my shoulder and see Tyler, carrying his bulldog back inside… wearing a brown hoodie.