Katherine Witt

By Katherine Witt @kemilywitt The woman paused at the median, left foot sturdy on the asphalt. Her right foot flexed against the pedal, ready to launch her bicycle forward at the right spacing between vehicles. Wearing a black helmet and dark sunglasses, the lower half of her face appeared motionless, observant. She wore black bicycle shorts and a creamsicle orange tank. Two dark circles rested over her breasts, the fabric wettened to a color like the insides of a grapefruit.

Child care is a central component of the modern economy, largely due to the increased labor force attachment of mothers and to the work requirements of numerous poverty-relief programs.

The sun clung to the horizon at four p.m. that November day in Alaska. From my office, I quickly did the calculations—if I left now, I would have just enough time to scoop up my children from daycare and fit in 20 minutes of sledding before darkness fell. I plunged my hand into the community candy bowl and pulled out four red-foiled Hershey’s kisses on the way out of the office.