Local Woman Missing Quotes

“Sometimes being scared makes you do things you didn't know you could do.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“A common belief during labor is that a baby’s needs supersede that of the mother’s. Women don’t always know they have options. Or they aren’t given a choice in their care. If they are, they aren’t allowed ample time or information to come to a decision themselves. Choices are made without their consent. Too many women don’t want to be a burden and so they say nothing. The mistreatment is subtle, too, and falls under the guise of medical care.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“That’s not to say I didn’t think about you. I thought about you a lot when you were gone, though all I ever knew was the absence of you.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“The absence of a no should never mean yes.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“I never noticed the whir of the ceiling fan, but the absence of it I do. The absence of it is deafening.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“They say time heals all wounds.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“The scar I’ve still got, but the memory of it is gone.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“The way the psychiatrist explained it to me,” Dad says, “being isolated in the dark for as long as your sister was drives people to the brink of insanity. It impairs their sense of time, their sleep cycles. Without being able to see, they suffer sensory deprivation.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“Being unbiased is important. Every woman is not me.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“impetuous.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“He puts his arms down, knowing you’re more of a trauma victim than his daughter.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“I’m not the same person I was before that man and that lady stole me.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“The truth will set you free.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“Shelby Tebow to consider, a young woman who went for a jog in our neighborhood ten nights ago and never returned.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“Where’s Delilah?” Delilah is Josh and Meredith’s daughter. She’s six.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“isn’t allowed the opportunity to give informed consent before he cuts an episiotomy, using a pair of scissors to cut her perineum instead of having it tear on its own, if at all. An episiotomy should be an exception these days, not the norm. And it should always come with a clear explanation of the possible complications, of which there are many, from painful sex to fecal incontinence. I’m appalled.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“We never do pull the shades. We didn’t when we lived in Chicago. You know what they say about old habits.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“They’re not in love. No one is leaving their spouse anytime soon. It’s nothing like that. For her, it’s a form of escapism, release, revenge.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“The more specific he is, the more sure she is of his betrayal.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“Everything about the parking garage is cliché. It’s poorly lit, dirty and claustrophobic. There’s a foul smell to it because the garage walls are solid, with little ventilation. Even without the texts, the garage sparks fear. It belongs in a movie scene.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“Leo is the shrinking violet type. He would never have gone to Charlotte for comfort. That’s outside his comfort zone. The only way Charlotte would have known is if Delilah saw it happen and told.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“Delilah colors pictures for me on my sidewalk with chalk. I find bouquets of dandelions on my front porch from her. Last year, when I broke my hip, she carried my mail to the door every day. She’s a darling girl.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“He doesn’t look at Shelby when he speaks to her. “I’m going to get this baby out of you. Sound good?” Shelby unleashes a scream with the next contraction. Dr. Feingold finds humor in it. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he says arrogantly. It makes me irate. The absence of a no should never mean yes. I’ve worked hard to create a culture of consent with my clients, especially in situations like this, where Shelby is vulnerable and Dr. Feingold in a position of power. There are risks in all manners of delivery. I know that. But a woman should be made aware of these risks. She should be given the opportunity to weigh the options for herself.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“He walks away from me. He returns to Shelby. “Besides,” he tells her, as if he was talking to her all along, “a C-section will leave you with an ugly scar, and no one wants that.” A healthy baby. That was Shelby’s only request when we discussed her birth plan. Instead of a C-section, Dr. Feingold decides to use forceps to help get the baby out. Very few doctors use them anymore, mostly only old-school ones like Dr. Feingold. The use of forceps poses a potential risk. Dr. Feingold doesn’t discuss these risks with Shelby or Jason. He only tells her what she wants to hear: that he’s going to help get this baby out of her now. But that’s not all. Because Shelby isn’t allowed the opportunity to give informed consent before he cuts an episiotomy, using a pair of scissors to cut her perineum instead of having it tear on its own, if at all. An episiotomy should be an exception these days, not the norm. And it should always come with a clear explanation of the possible complications, of which there are many, from painful sex to fecal incontinence. I’m appalled. “Doctor,” I say tersely, but it’s too late, because it’s done. He glares at me over my client, where I stand by her side, trying to comfort her. “Would you like to wait in the hall?” he asks.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“This is the problem. Laboring women don’t want to piss anyone off. Because they need them. Which means that sometimes unnecessary things are done to a woman’s body during labor, for the sake of convenience or efficiency. Sometimes I’m as much of a bodyguard as anything else.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“In time, Dr. Feingold comes. I’ve never had the pleasure of working with Dr. Feingold before. But his reputation precedes him. He’s overweening and uncompromising. He tries to relegate me to the corner of the room. I won’t have it. Shelby is my client as much as she is his. He wants to check her progress. He jams his fingers inside her cervix, far less gently than the triage nurse. Shelby recoils on the hospital bed. She presses her knees together. She tries pulling away from him. “You need to hold still,” he says. It’s apathetic. “You’re hurting me,” she whimpers. He makes light of her pain. “This doesn’t hurt,” he says, going on. He wouldn’t know. He’s never had a cervical exam before. Shelby squirms. He tells her to hold still. He says that the more still she holds, the sooner he will be done. It’s denigrating. “All done,” Dr. Feingold says to Shelby as he yanks the latex glove from his hand. “Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?” She won’t look at him.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“Piper is backing away from me. She hugs her books to her. “Don’t be mad at me, Leo,” she says before she turns around and runs.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“swallow.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“Not only did Bea get her money from her; she also got her name, Beatrice, which is one of those vintage names someone else might hate, but not Bea.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing

“He’s cheesed off, but trying not to fly off the handle because the reporters would only get that on video and show it on TV.”
― Mary Kubica, Local Woman Missing