Ashley woke up the next morning and prepared to go to work. Following her phone conversation with her mother the previous night, she was re-energized and filled with renewed determination. Nothing and no one could stand in the way of her achieving her objective.
Jerry called her right as she was about to leave for work. “How do you feel right now?”
“I am perfectly fine, Jerry.”
“Next time, rather than hitting the punching bag, punch the numbers on your phone keypad and speak to people. Tyler, Jessica, Aaron, and I will always be there for you at all times.”
“I am aware of that, Jerry. Thank you for everything.”
“How do you intend to proceed, kiddo? Do you still want to carry out your plan?”
“There are no two ways about it, Jerry. I would like to carry out everything as planned. A
