Dawn of Eve by MJ Howson (best ereader for students .txt) 📕

The wind whipped past Dawn as she shoved the stroller out onto the terrace. The temperature was a relatively balmy fifty degrees. The carriage’s wheels struggled to crawl over the broken paintings spread across the floor.

The curved patio spanned over 400 square feet. A small four-seat bistro and two lounge chairs with side tables were spread across the terrace. Dawn picked up a few pieces of shattered wood and jammed them into the buggy. She opened the nail polish remover and poured it over the wood, canvas, and clothing. Dawn flicked the lighter, cupping the flame with her hand.

“Goodbye, Dawn.” Dawn held the lighter beside a soaked piece of canvas, causing it to catch fire. She extinguished the lighter and smiled. “I won’t miss you at all.”

Dawn tossed a few more pieces of shredded artwork into the carriage. The flames grew in intensity, the paint-covered canvases quickly igniting. She turned and went back inside to get her glass of wine. As she crossed the floor, her cell phone rang. Dawn went to the kitchen and grabbed her phone. The screen showed the call was coming from her doctor. She grinned as she answered the call.

“Hello, Dr. Cole,” Dawn said. “How are you this afternoon?”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you,” Dr. Cole said, sounding out of breath. “Are . . . are you doing okay?”

“Never better.”

There was a long pause before Dr. Cole finally said, “I’m in a cab on my way to my office. I must see you. I know you said you were done with therapy, but–”

“How’s four o’clock?”

“Four?” The doctor’s confused tone revealed her proposal had taken him by surprise. “Today?”

“Yes.” Dawn poured more wine into her glass. “Is that soon enough?”

“Uh. Yes. Yes, that would be perfect.”

“Great. See you then.”

Dawn ended the call, took another sip of red wine, and said, “Caretaker, can you reserve two tickets for the Vessel at Hudson Yards today at five?”

The music stopped. After a few seconds, the voice assistant said, “Please hold.” Dawn took the time to head back to the terrace door, bringing her wine and cell phone. Caretaker soon said, “Reservations confirmed for the Vessel today at five p.m.” The music resumed playing.

Dawn’s phone buzzed, showing a notification confirming the reservation being added to her calendar by Caretaker. She smiled, opened the patio door, and stepped outside. The carriage was now ablaze–the sides and hood having ignited. Dawn tossed more pieces of her shattered artwork into the fire. The fragments quickly became inflamed, many falling to the floor. She rang Jacob on her phone, placing the call on speaker. After four rings, the call connected.

“Dawn?” Jacob asked. He spoke in a soft, stern tone as if he’d stepped out of an important meeting to take the call. “Are you okay?”

“Is this a bad time?” Dawn replied.

“Actually, it kind of is. Sean and I are moving into a new apartment.”

“Oh? I didn’t know you were planning to move.”

“I wasn’t. It’s a long story.” His voice became louder and filled with annoyance. “Look, can I–”

“I’ll keep this short, Jacob. Two things. First of all, I wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me?”

“When you threw Eve from my terrace, you told me I’d thank you tomorrow. Well, you were right.”

“Oh.” Jacob paused for an uncharacteristically long time. When he spoke again, he sounded relieved. “I didn’t mean that literally. But, um, okay. I’m glad you figured out that stupid doll was doing more harm than good.”

Dawn tossed a few more pieces of wood and canvas into the fire. The heat radiating from the blaze felt good on her skin.

“What’s that noise?” Jacob asked. “Are you outside?”

“I’m just doing some house cleaning.” Dawn took a moment to run her thumb and finger across the locket around her neck. “The second reason I called was to repay you.”

“For what?”

“For the money that you spent on me.”

“What? No. No, that’s not necessary.”

“But it is. I insist. You spent so much money on me. It couldn’t have been easy for a man of your means. The pregnancy and all that happened afterward were, well, were things you never signed up for.”

“Look, Dawn, I don’t–”

“I tricked you. With the fertility pills. You never wanted children. That wasn’t right. Let me make this up to you. I insist.” Dawn waited for his answer. She tried to imagine what was going through Jacob’s mind. “I won’t make this offer again, Jacob. Tell me to hang up, and you’ll never hear from me again. It’s up to you.”

Dawn took a sip of wine, again surprised at how long it was taking Jacob to respond.

“How . . . how much?” Jacob finally asked. “How much are you offering?”

“Name your price.”

“Name my . . . . Are you serious?”

Dawn took a moment to enjoy the pure shock in Jacob’s voice. She said, “Look, I have no idea what you spent. And if you’re now being forced to move to a new place, I can only imagine the stress you’re under.”

“Dawn, I . . . I don’t know what to say.”

“Meet me at the Vessel at five o’clock today. I’ll have my checkbook with me.” Dawn found herself once again listening to silence. “Jacob?”

“Okay. Okay, sure. Thanks, Dawn.”

“Great. See you then. Goodbye.”

Dawn ended the call and stepped closer to the fire. The smoke smelled acrid and burned her eyes. The stroller’s frame was now warped from the heat. She took another sip of wine and left the patio. Dawn went to the spiral staircase and ascended to the top floor, stopping outside the nursery. The crystal handle appeared dull and faded. She ran her hand against the door and closed her eyes, recalling a past dream that would never come true.

Once upstairs, Dawn brought her wine into the bathroom and placed it on the counter beside the half-torn plastic bag from her recent trip to the drug store. She emptied the bag’s makeup and other items onto the vanity. Dawn ran her fingers across the various boxes,