Snippet #2549558

Miriam could never quite get herself to sleep late on any given day. It was even worse when they were expecting guests, which they were.

She felt silly about it, but she simply had to make sure everything looked decent. The last thing she needed as a small business owner was people thinking their rooms were dirty or their sheets hadn't been changed recently.

Normally, she would have asked Willa to help her set the breakfast table, but the girl was young and needed sleep much more than Miriam did. What was it they said...that sleep kept wrinkles away.

"God knows, it might even be true." she sighed to herself, prodding uncomfortably at her own skin, but then stopping herself, "No time for elderly regrets, Miriam dear, we have work to do." she told herself.

So she put some eggs and bacon on the stove, opened a few windows in the dining room (it was terribly cold outside, but the house was always so stale and musty-smelling) and sat at the dining room table, a copy of the morning's paper in front of her.

It would be a long day, with new guests and all, and she must be prepared.

-Miriam