The shrill beeping of the alarm clock pierced through Beth's dreamless sleep. She cracked one eye open to see 6:15am glowing in harsh red numbers. With a groan, she stretched her arm across the empty expanse of rumpled sheets next to her. Jerry must have already left for his soul-crushing office job.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Beth sat up and took a fortifying breath. Another day of patching up sick horses at St. Equis and playing referee between her brilliant but reckless father and her bickering teenage kids. Just an ordinary day in the life of Beth Smith.
She shuffled to the kitchen in her ratty old bathrobe, flipping on the coffeemaker. As the bitter aroma filled the air, she leaned against the counter and closed her eyes, trying to mentally prepare herself. Summer would need to be nagged out of bed soon for school, unless she wanted another tardy on her record. And who knew what kind of mess awaited with her son tú after he inevitably blew off his homework to indulge in some bizarre sci-fi nonsense with Rick.
The coffeemaker sputtered out its final drops. Beth filled her mug, doctoring it with generous splashes of hazelnut creamer. She took a long sip, the warmth spreading through her tired body.
"Okay, Beth," she muttered under her breath. "You can do this. Just another ordinary insane day with your crazy family."
Squaring her shoulders, she headed upstairs to rouse the kids, sacrificing another piece of her soul to keep their strange little world spinning.
