The Rathbone Assignment Part I:
Erica's Test
Erica grabbed the plastic grocery bag with the toothpaste and toiletries in it to keep in the front seat with her. She placed the rest of the grocery bags in the back of her minivan and closed the hatch. She reached down into the bag of toiletries and gently took out the plain pink box. Such a simple design, she thought, for something so complex.
Birds at the edge of the parking lot took flight. She paused to watch the them as they scattered and reorganized into a flock in the air. They formed a soft edged triangle as they flew behind the far end of the grocery store. Beyond them, behind a purple bank of clouds, the sun was burning the horizon a deep orange. She dropped the box back into the bag and tossed the bag into the passenger seat with her purse.
She exited the parking lot onto Hwy 130 south and headed home. It was a long drive to the house but Erica always enjoyed the forest and farmland she passed along the way. Except for the Army base, Rathbone was just a small country town. Erica didn't mind, she enjoyed the solitude. In fact, when she found out that Derrick had gotten the assignment at the Rathbone base, she was ecstatic. She had grown up in this exact kind of landscape and it always made her feel like home. It was something that she had always wanted her children to experience and to understand.
