Un-Stuck

Coffee. She needed coffee. There was so much to do. Wash sheets. Put away laundry. What was for dinner? Jared said something about salmon. Did they have salmon? Maybe in the freezer. The mirror in the bathroom was dirty. She’ll have to clean that too. The toothpaste was almost empty. Where was Jared’s toothbrush? She’ll add shopping to the list too. Or maybe Jared could stop on his way home. What else could he get? Milk. Eggs. Chocolate chip cookies. A treat for both of them. Or maybe they could go out. She could make a reservation. Kismet was their favourite. It’s where Jared proposed. They we regulars. Call restaurant - added to the list. Daylight illuminated the white cupboards in the kitchen. It was blinding. Something smelled. Rotten. Looked like the fridge door was left open. How many times did she have to warn Jared? The spring was wonky, he knew. Good thing it was almost empty. Nothing rotten here. Add veggies, cold cuts, and fruit to shopping. Maybe the garbage needed taking ...

"You’re doing it again,” she complained. Her lips were turned down into a frown. Over the past few months the lines around her mouth started to crease into the familiar expression. She would spend the rest of the night in front of the mirror pulling and prodding the tender area as if that could perform a miracle facelift. He stirred his cup, spoon clinking loudly against the ceramic mug, one more time for good measure. Maybe her eye would twitch again and he would relish in the personal victory. The café they decided to stop in was just off of the highway outside of Nashville. It was small with yellow linoleum floors, dark wooden tables, and smelled of coffee and butter. There was a consistent flow of people looking for a quick pick me up on their journey to wherever. It wasn’t her idea to pull off; she wanted to keep going. She thought it was because the rain was coming down in sheets, submerging the roads in two feet of water, but it was the silence in the car that was becoming ...

She was cold. She never got used to dressing for the weather because she never had to when he was around. There was always an extra sweater for her just in case. Eventually she didn't even need to ask. But everything was different now. She bit down on her lip and felt the November wind push through her skirt. She would have to get used to checking the weather before leaving the house. It would take time, but they said she'd learn. The sun was barely showing over the horizon and she wished that she wasn’t so late. She promised him she would be on time for once. The sun would still be out and they would watch it set together with a fleece blanket as a barrier from the frosted ground and a cup of cocoa split between them. But the blanket wasn’t where she swore she saw it and the cupboard was fresh out of cocoa. It was all wrong. The iron gate whined as she pushed through with little effort. The first time she visited, it took her 45 minutes to even touch it but in following months...