Page 5 of Against All Odds

Oh look, another day in paradise.

And by paradise, I mean—purgatory.

Today is the same fucking thing, just wash, lather, repeat. Also, why the hell do we repeat? Like, shouldn’t it work the first time?

Whatever.

“Oh, look who’s here for free coffee!” My best friend Hazel says as I enter the door of Prose & Perk.

Like I do every morning.

Why? Because my life is literally the same shit on a different day.

So, here I am again, world, doing the same thing.

Wake up at five a.m., like clockwork, go see my mother and get her set for the day, get coffee and see the same patrons who come at the same time, before I leave to spend the day with animals.

“Jesus, you’re hostile today,” I say with a sigh, leaning against the counter.

“Sorry, I’m just exhausted. I went on another date last night that ended with me getting fast food on the way home because he told me that I should eat salad only.”

“Fuck him,” I say quickly. “No one should ever tell you what to eat. What’s his number? The guys and I will pay him a visit.”

Hazel and I have been best friends since we were kids. She’s like a sister to me, and I’ll kick anyone’s ass who hurts her.

“That’s very sweet, but I handled it.” She grins.

I’m a little afraid for him then. Hazel’s fucking vicious when she wants to be. One of my teammates on my Frisbee league, Miles, pissed her off once, and she put a laxative in his breakfast. Poor guy was running to the shitter all day.

I’ll be honest, I really didn’t feel bad for him, but I pretended.

“I’m glad you’re so mean sometimes, just not when you’re mean to me. Now, can I please have some coffee? I have to get up to the Joneses’ farm and check on the foal that was born. The mom is a little lethargic, and I want to make sure everything is fine.”

Being the town veterinarian is honestly more than I could’ve ever dreamed of. When I chose to walk away from baseball, there really was only one other option for me, and it was this.

“Aww,” Hazel says in a singsong voice. “She had the baby? Didn’t she lose her foal two years ago?”

“Yes, and I promised I’d be there early.”

We both look at the wall clock. “This is early?”

I let out a long sigh. “Mom had a rough start to the morning, so ...”

She gives me a soft smile. “I’m sure they’ll understand and have no fear—I have coffee.”

The owners do understand and thank God for the coffee.

“I called, explained, and they said both animals appear to be okay, but both the mare and the foal need to be examined to ease their minds, I think.”

“But you don’t think they’re okay, though?”

I shrug, not sure what I think until I get there. “Jones said the foal was still a bit sluggish but had improved, so I didn’t need torush. I also think after the way they lost the last one, they’re a bit shaken up.” Understandably so. It was traumatic for everyone.

She turns and starts pouring coffee into a cup. “Well, it’s a happy day for the Jones farm and you, since I’m going to give you this cup”—she holds the cup in her hand and her voice becomes stern—“andonlythis cup, for free, because you had a bad morningandI’m a wonderful friend.”

I know better than to make my normal sarcastic remark about her friendship since she cut me off from my daily coffee the last time I did it. Plus, she’s being kind, so I’ll just wait until she’s back to being her ungiving self.

“Thank you. I appreciate it. Truly.” And I do. Hazel always is there for me.

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