Victoria Snead pulled into her usual parking spot behind the office. As always, she was the first one there. Dr. Jacobs would arrive just before nine, ahead of his first patient.

She closed her car door and clicked the alarm button. Victoria unlocked the back door to the office and went inside. She turned on the heat and started a pot of coffee. It was Monday morning. She hadn't wanted to get up.

"I'm jealous," she had whispered to her husband, Daniel, earlier that morning.

"Then quit, Vic," he'd said in a sleepy voice.

"That's easy for you to say," Victoria had answered. She kissed him on the cheek and slipped out of the bedroom.

Victoria slid her purse under her desk and thought about her situation.

Daniel worked from home building websites and made his own hours. Victoria was a slave to the clock. She hardly had time for painting, her true passion. Her artwork sat gathering dust at home in the guestroom.

Daniel had been urging her to quit and focus on her art. Victoria shivered at the thought of her work on display. Living near New York City meant there were plenty of art galleries. Still, very few people had seen her paintings. She feared judgment.

"Good morning, Dr. Jacobs," she said as he entered. She pushed her daydreams aside.

The doctor nodded at her and smiled. In his fifties, he was thirty years older than Victoria. He stepped into his private office, closing the door behind him.

Victoria's desk was right outside his office door.

Victoria began typing on her computer, but her mind was on Daniel. Her thoughts kept drifting to her husband. He was probably making tea by then.

They had been married almost three years, although it didn't seem possible. The time had flown by.

Victoria and Daniel had been high school sweethearts and also best friends. He was brilliant with computers. His business was a huge success. He wanted to see her succeed too, at something she loved.

Victoria had worked for Dr. Jacobs for almost five years. She got the job just after getting her two-year degree. He was a psychiatrist, and working as his secretary had sounded exciting. Unlike a medical doctor, Dr. Jacobs helped heal people's minds. He helped them deal with their problems.

Victoria finished the letter for Dr. Jacobs. She made herself some coffee. The wall clock said five minutes until nine. She smoothed her blouse and waited for Amanda Frost to arrive. Amanda was Dr. Jacobs' first appointment, and she was never late.

Amanda came in right on time, looking tired but cheerful. Victoria picked up her phone and buzzed Dr. Jacobs.

"Go right on in, Ms. Frost," Victoria said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Snead," Amanda answered.

Two more appointments followed. Soon, it was lunchtime. Victoria heated a frozen dinner using the microwave in the employee lounge. She twirled the pasta on her fork in a daze.

"I need a sign," she said to herself. "I need something to point me in the right direction."

When Victoria returned from her break, the message light on her phone flashed. It was the two o'clock appointment canceling at the last minute.

She told Dr. Jacobs. He sighed.

"Well, I've got plenty of notes to catch up on," he said. "Also, I have a feeling my three o'clock will run over. It's George Harrison, and he's really having a terrible time."

Victoria nodded with understanding. She had gotten to know the patients well over the years.

An hour passed slowly. George arrived a little before three. Victoria began organizing some paperwork and then wiped down her desktop. The last two hours of the workday always dragged by. At a loss, she pulled an art magazine from her purse.

Before she could open the cover, a man walked in. He was familiar to her. He looked very upset. Victoria realized he had been a patient of Dr. Jacobs before. But it had been over a year since his last appointment. It was cool outside, but the man's coat was meant for bitter cold.

"I need to see Dr. Jacobs right away. I'm at the end of my rope," the man moaned.

"Sir, I'd be happy to make you an appointment," Victoria answered politely.

"I need to see him now. My ex-wife has drained my bank account. I just got laid off from work," he said.

Victoria searched the schedule for openings. "Dr. Jacobs can see you Thursday at eleven."

"I'll be broke by then!" the man yelled. "What would you do if you were in my shoes?"

"May I get your name?" Victoria asked in a shaky voice.

"I'm nobody, really, but my name is Andrew Morris," he said.

"Mr. Morris, I am not one to be giving out advice. Since you asked, I will say this. Whenever I feel like giving up, I remind myself life is short. I keep putting one foot in front of the other. I try to go in the right direction," she told him.

Andrew Morris slapped his forehead and dropped his lower jaw. Victoria felt her pulse quicken.

"Oh, why didn't I think of that?" He asked sarcastically. "Gee, thanks. I'll remember that when I'm living on the streets, broke and alone."

Mr. Morris stormed out of the office. He swung the door hard as he left. The bells above it jingled wildly.

Victoria wrote a brief description of what happened on a memo pad. She included some of her own reaction to Mr. Morris.

Just as she had finished and begun to settle, someone else entered.