Greener Grass | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Greener Grass | Previous Challenge Entry
By Cindy Duncan
12/15/16
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Greener Grass

As soon as Hannah stopped pushing the stroller, three-year-old Mason jumped out, and his younger sister started pulling on the strap that restrained her from joining him. “Out, Mommy, out,” she whined. Hannah released little Emily from her prison, and she toddled straight to the swings, her favorite part of any playground. The problem was that she hadn’t learned to swing by herself like Mason could, so Hannah had to stand behind her and push.

“Just for a minute, then Mommy needs to sit down, okay?” Hannah lifted Emily onto the swing, and began pushing. They were the only ones at the playground, but Hannah noticed a lady at the picnic table on the hill overlooking them. The table was next to an office building, probably put there so the employees could have a place to eat their lunch outdoors.

Hannah had often thought about how nice it would be to work in that office building. She loved her children, but what if she had finished college, and gone on to law school like she had planned to do? She had wanted to be a defense attorney, to defend the defenseless, she had said. Maybe she could’ve even been on television, defending some high profile case.

Hannah thought about what her life would be like if she was a lawyer. She could wear fancy suits, and heels, and wouldn’t have little people wiping their dirty hands on her all day. Instead of having peanut butter sandwiches, she would go out with her co-workers for lunch, and discuss their important cases. They would probably ask her opinion, and really listen to her answers.

If Hannah was a lawyer, she could afford to buy a house, and drive one of those little sports cars, and go on vacation to exotic places. Her children could have new clothes instead of the hand-me-downs they usually wore.

“Higher, Mommy, higher!”

Hannah, lost in her thoughts, had forgotten about little Emily. She looked at the lady on the hill as she gave Emily another push.

“I hope that lady knows how lucky she is,” Emily thought.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Allison had to get away from her client, so she took a break and went outside. She was a defense attorney, but she was pretty sure her current client was guilty. Still, she had to defend him. It was the worst part of her job. Defending the indefensible.

Sitting at the picnic table, Allison looked down the hill and noticed a young mother at the playground with her two small children. She thought about her baby daughter at home with her nanny. Her arms ached to hold her little Annie. She could almost smell Annie’s baby breath on her neck.

“Get your degree,” everyone had said. “Then you can have a baby. You can have it all,” they had said. If that were true, why did she feel like she didn’t have what mattered the most to her? Because of her student loan debt, she knew it wasn’t possible for her to quit her job, but what if it was? What would it be like to be at home with her baby?

If it weren’t for her job, she probably would’ve seen Annie’s first steps, taken just a week ago. The nanny sent her a video, and she had cried, right there in her office. She had already missed so much.

She imagined Annie toddling into her room in the mornings, and crawling into bed with her. They could snuggle, and read books, and watch princess shows. She could make breakfast for her, and take her to the park, and watch her learn to talk, and sing, and dance.

During Annie’s afternoon nap, Allison could straighten up the house and start dinner. When her husband came home, they could have a nice family meal, instead of the fast food she usually brought home after working late.

Suddenly, Allison’s phone buzzed, causing her to jump a little, and escorting her back to reality. It was time to return to her client. Allison stood up, straightened her skirt, and looked one more time at the young mother and her children.

“I hope she realizes how lucky she is,” Allison said, as she headed back to the office.

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