Monica was sleeping so hard she did not hear her cell phone ring at all. When Owen's cell phone started to blare his Flaming Lips ringtone they both shot out of bed; they were startled and hungover from the previous night.

"No one I know would call me on a Sunday morning. That has to be for you, babe," Owen said in a strained voice, his eyes still closed, as he rolled over in bed and hogged all of the covers.

They only had one bedside table and it was on Owen's side. Monica leaned over Owen's body with the agility of a slug and answered his phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello," the person on the other end sounded familiar to Monica but she wasn't sure just yet. She wiped the sleep out of eyes and sat up in bed. "Is this Monica Turner?"

"Yes." She rubbed her forehead and remembered she had listed Owen's number as her in-case-of-an-emergency contact for the daycare she worked at.

"Monica, dear," the lady's voice trailed off for a minute. It was Nancy. The lady that took all calls at the front desk and took care of the payroll and oversaw the tuition payments at the daycare. "Miss Astrid has---Miss Astrid has passed away."

The news hit Monica in her gut. If she wasn't already sitting in bed, she would have plummeted to the floor. She remained silent. She couldn't find her voice.

"Monica, dear, Miss Bethany will be taking over the class. She was Astrid's assistant and all the kids know her and are comfortable with her. That should make this change easier on them. Astrid was always fond of you, out of all our part-timers. How would you feel about being Bethany's assistant and joining us full-time from now on?"

Monica had been waiting for a full-time position to open up at the daycare for months. She did not know how to piece her words together just yet, but knew how she needed to respond.

"Yes. Thank you."

"I'm so sorry to hit you with this so suddenly, but that's how it has hit us all this weekend. So suddenly. Tabitha was called early this morning about Astrid. We have all just been in shock about it. Poor Astrid."

Tabitha was the director of their small daycare. Each room had about ten to twelve children in it with one teacher and at least one assistant. Part-timers like Monica were called helpers and they came in now and then for half days or full days, when needed or if anyone was out sick or out of town.

"Thank you so much for accepting the position, Monica. We are so grateful to have someone like you coming on full-time, especially at a time like this."

Monica nodded. Owen rolled over and hugged her thigh. He heard a little of the conversation. Whenever Nancy was emotional her voice rose in volume.

"I'm grateful for you ladies, too."

"Seeing as Monday is Labor Day, the center won't be open, of course. We are still going to come in and have a brunch in honor of Astrid. Please, come if you are able."

"Of course," Monica blinked and as if on autopilot words came more easily to her. "May I bring anything?"

"No, sweetie, Tabitha and I already have everything taken care of. We'll see you there, around 11 a.m., okay?"

"Alright. See y'all then. Thank you, Nancy."

"You're welcome. Goodbye."

"Bye," Monica shut the flip phone and Owen took it out of her hands.

"What happened, babe? Is everything okay?"

"No. Astrid died."

"Astrid?" Owen sat up in bed and shook his hair off his forehead. Monica looked very pale. He brought her head to his shoulder and stroked her hair. "I think I remember you talking about her. That hippy girl? The one with the laugh and the hair you really love?"

"Yeah, that's her. That was her."

"I'm so sorry, babe. What happened to her?"

"I don't know. Nancy didn't say."

"Hey, I'll go start some coffee. We might as well go out and do something since we're already up. Maybe head downtown and meet the guys for breakfast somewhere? Get your mind off Astrid." He slid his hand down to her cheek and passed his thumb over her tears.

"Okay."

She could hear him clanking around in the kitchen. He had no clue were the coffee filters were. She usually made the coffee for them. She did not bother to get out of bed. She rested her head back onto her pillow, took all the covers back and cried.