The alarm wasn’t supposed to go off yet. The sound chilled her to the bone as she sprang up from the bed and quickly leaned over to shut it off. Of course, it read 3:33 a.m. taking it into her hands, she wound the ring around again and again, and set the timer to go off at 7:00. The children and John needed to wake up and so did she to prepare their breakfast. Jeannie laid back on the bed and looked up into the dark room. Only the light of the new crescent moon shone a bit into the room. She noticed as she breathed in and out deeply, a puff of air was visible to her. “Hmm, what about that? It must be too cold in here,” she thought and jumped out of bed to go turn up the heater. Down the stairs, she went. Then, grabbing a flashlight from the kitchen drawer, she went down the second flight of stairs that led to the basement. To her surprise, she came across the realization that the boiler was working fine and the thermostat was set and functioning at 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Still, as she exhaled, her breath was evident in the air before her. She could see each breath of air she exhaled as she walked back up the stairs. Jeannie’s lack of sleep prompted her to walk towards the kitchen. The coffee maker again, her early morning friend, brewed her a robust cup of coffee which kept her company as she sat now wondering about both the damned alarm clock that went off each morning at 3:33 a.m. and the fact that she could see her breath in a house that wasn’t near cold enough for that to be explainable. “How could I go on like this?” she mumbled. She was always so tired that she and John hardly ever went out like they used to before the move. The children had taken initiative with their homework and other after-school activities and not once asked for her help in anything, making her feel incompetent. Then she thought more positively. “I suppose they think I need some rest. Jeannie softly caressed the beautiful wood table, thinking how many dinners they would soon be having on it with friends, family, and neighbors. “Oh, but we would have to start inviting them. If only I wouldn’t fall asleep, I could plan it…” she whispered.