Elizabeth had to blink against blurry vision through most of her shift. Being awake enough to taste the mold in the bread when she sat down for lunch, she paused briefly considering the sandwich in her hands before taking another bite with a soft ‘ugh’ of distaste. Food rarely tasted like much to her anyway.

“Hey… Liz was it?”

Elizabeth swallowed back the distasteful mouthful with a gulp of water. She left her gaze on the table.

“What’s up?”

“There’s a bit of a debate going around the office we’re hoping you could settle. A lot of people think you came from Utah or Idaho. Dave says Texas, but everyone knows Dave’s crazy. I’m with the camp that says it was farther West, like central California. Care to weigh in?”

“Cali-“

Memory rose unbidden, and decidedly unwanted. The rustle of fabric, heat and the smell of sweat. A gravelly voice ‘come on girly. You can show how much you want it. It’s okay.’ She tore away from that one only to land in darker remembering. ’You don’t want to do that girly.’ The crack of leather against skin. ’See girly?’

“Liz? Hello?”

Elizabeth shook her head trying vainly to focus on the face across the table from her. Told herself for the thousandth time that she wasn’t there anymore.

“California.”

She turned back to her sandwich, forcing another bite. The spoiled tang helped ground her in the present, at least. Nonplussed, the co-worker who had intruded left as she continued to focus on the sandwich. Elizabeth barely noted his departure. She had yet to learn his name, much less remember it.

She returned home at the usual time, depositing the end of the bread loaf in the trash before starting on dinner.