If you looked at her car you wouldn’t really notice anything. It was an older model but it was in good repair and it ran well. The paint was in poor condition and the roof was pockmarked with indentations from a hail storm or two. The driver was very pretty and she never took a day in her life for granted. She also smiled while most on the freeway wore frowns. If you were following her you would notice at least two things- she always drove the speed limit and her license plate had no vowels in it. She had a license plate frame that was shiny chrome and it read “My Daddy Loves Me.” Inside the frame was an off-white plate that read “MRCLBBY.” If you were following her and liked to solve puzzles you would probably come up with “Miracle Baby.”

He pulled over on the side of the overpass but he didn’t turn on his hazzards. It was starting to get dark but it was still light enough to see. He had never done it this dark before but he was sure it would work out.

Twenty-one years ago she was borne. Her parents had suffered through several terminated pregnancies and the doctor told them they could try one more time. There was so much pressure on them both that they felt ill most of the time. Every possible treatment had been attempted and this time they were on their second round of attempts. They prayed every day that this time it would work. They wanted a baby. They wanted a baby to complete their family. Mary cried each night thinking the baby would never come.

He laid his bag on the ground by the rail and slowly unzipped it. He reached his hands inside and was fumbling around with whatever he had packed. Every now and then he would glance left and then right. The cars sped fast- the drivers ignoring him.

Her cell phone rang and she answered. It was her mom. She called her every day on her way home from work to make sure she was ok. Her mom told her she loved her and said they would pick her up at 7pm for dinner. She hung up and was smiling again. She was happy to be alive.

He moved over so that he was between his car and the railing. He lifted a long shadow from the bag and rested it on the rail. He checked one more time left and right with no one paying him any attention. He looked down the cold steel rod and leaned his cheek against the side of it. He peered through the site and focused on the cars passing by. He saw a young pretty girl talking on the phone and decided then she was the one. He tensed, held his breath, and gently ended her life.

She felt a burning sensation in her neck and veered into the cars around her. There was the cacophony of breaks and broken glass. It was over fast. The traffic had come to a stop.

He quickly packed his gun and got into his car. He never even saw her license plate.