Chapter 11

Nia

I stop by the little coffee shop around the corner from the studio. It's barely ten a.m. and I'm already dead tired. It's not that I usually enjoy a good night's sleep; I'm used to being woken up from time to time, shaking, crying, sweating, all the lovely perks that follow nightmares. But last night had a new kick to it. My mind was spinning. It would be upsetting on so many levels to lose my new job. Obviously the money is an important factor, but also the sense of tranquility, the ability to let go for just a short period of time, is something I can't easily dismiss. Being able to put smiles on little girls' faces helps somehow to make my self-contempt weaken, sometimes even vanish for a few rare moments.

"Good morning, " a young barista with about a pound of metal donning her face, welcomes me. We both stifle our yawns.