Karyn rolled down the car window, just a quarter of the way, just enough to feel a breeze on her face. She didn't quite feel good yet, but her mom had been right: just getting out of the house helped a little bit.
"Where are we going?" Karyn asked as she stared out the window.
"Well, I need a new soap caddy for the shower, so I was going to Bed Bath and Beyond anyway. That won't take me very long, and I figured we could walk around the mall a bit. See if there's anything you want."
Karyn closed her eyes and let her head lean into the strap of her seatbelt. Little things. She couldn't think of anything in particular that she wanted, but the reminder that there was someone who was willing to help her look for something, who was willing to get it for her, made her feel taken care of, was a necessary reminder. The problems she had on her own shoulders were hers alone to bear, but her mom was going to help where she could.
Karyn let her body sway with the movement of the car, letting her mind go blank, letting her body go semi-limp. By the time she felt the car come to a full stop, felt the rumbling of the engine die down, she was feeling a lot better. There was still a knot in her chest that she couldn't quite untie, but she found that could ignore it. She had the energy now to ignore it.
She stepped out of the car and took in a cloudless blue sky above the vast parking lot, and welcomed a cool spring breeze before closing the car door and turning to her mom.
"Shall we go inside?"
Karyn smiled. She couldn't remember the last time she'd done that.
