The Fallback by Mariah Dietz

Author:Mariah Dietz [Dietz, Mariah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-10T05:00:00+00:00

The next morning, I sit at my desk, gathering all the documents for the Abergals’ bar mitzvah. I’m meeting Levi in an hour at the hall it’s being held at so he can see the kitchen and we can go over the menu. I’m still uncertain about too much, but at this point, I don’t have time to dwell upon those concerns.

The hall where the bar mitzvah is being held is on the outskirts of the city, but traffic is worse than I’d anticipated, thwarting my efforts to arrive early.

I’m on the brink of being late when I arrive, and the parking lot is nearly full, forcing me to park near the back. I drop my phone and keys into my bag and hurriedly make my way through the maze of cars. A sound makes me stop. I turn, the hairs on my arms standing tall though it’s hot enough for perspiration to build at my hairline. I take a deep breath and look around, debating what is threatening to make me late. Then I hear it again. A baby.

I walk back several paces as the sound grows, peering into car windows for the source. I stop at a black BMW, the windows tinted so dark I can barely see in with the bright reflection of the sun. A black car seat is in the back seat, facing backward.

“Hello?” I bang on the driver’s side window, my heart rate spiking. “Hello?” I yell louder. Inside, the baby’s cries are a constant stream. I drop my things to the ground. Each of my nerves heightens with every cry and second that’s passing. I try the car handles, praying the vehicle will be unlocked, but it, of course, isn’t.

I bang on the windows again and then look for something to smash against them. I find a large rock with serrated edges that I grip tightly in my fist and swing with all my might against the driver’s side window, hoping the glass won’t spray into the back seat. It doesn’t do a single thing, barely even leaves a scratch. I hit it again and again and again, the flesh on my fingers breaking from the multiple impacts, but the window remains intact.

The baby’s cries are weakening, and the feeling of helplessness is growing as I continue banging on the glass, yelling for someone to help.

A hand stops my next assault on the window, and I look over to see Levi through my tear-blurred vision.

“There’s a—”

He doesn’t wait for me to explain. He takes the rock from my hand, forming a fist over it, then crashes it against the top corner of the window. The corner shatters, splintering the rest of the window. He uses the rock to knock more of the shards free and then opens the door to hit the unlock button as I move to the back door. I fling it open and reach inside. A small infant sits nestled in the seat, a thin blanket with pink flowers covering most of her tiny body.

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