Her shoes were always the first items of clothing to come off when she came home late from work events. She kicked them off with vengeance the moment she entered her open concept, one bedroom apartment. 

The shoes looked contrite against the floor’s baseboard—as though they had been scolded for bad behavior. Although she often handled them carelessly, her collection of heels was one of the  few sources of happiness in her life. She spent most of her time with people that she disliked, and at a job that she loathed—but she was always in beautiful shoes. 

She opened the stainless steel freezer, grabbed the Ben and Jerry’s Milk and Cookies ice cream, and sat on the cold, ceramic kitchen floor—her ritual after a long, draining work day. She wondered how long she could continue the cycle of going into the office for 12-hour days, only to attend after-work events in an exhausting effort to woo wealthy new clients. 

Although she didn’t know exactly what she wanted, she knew what she didn’t want; and perhaps that was just as important. She desired happiness that came from beyond her walk-in closet. It was time for a change. The wheels started to turn in her mind as she brainstormed her exit plan.