I stared back at the neon pink flags snapping in the winter wind.

Tuesday morning brought a heavy overcast sky to Kearney.

I sat at the clinic’s front desk before my first appointment.

The clinic computer hummed loudly as I opened the Buffalo County property records website.

Sarah sprayed disinfectant on the green vinyl chairs in the waiting room and wiped the armrests in tight circles.

“Corporate money is flooding into the county,” Sarah said.

She tossed her paper towel into the trash.