She opened the door and crossed the threshold as she had so many times, but now everything was different. It helped to know she wasn’t alone, but her cats were so quiet she might as well have been.
“Jingles! Champ! I’m home,” she called to her companions. They wouldn’t come, but she ached less, imagining they’d anticipated her return.
Dust motes swirled between the lengthening shadows. The room was filled with motion, yet everything felt still and empty. Like her life.
Today the judge signed the decree, finalizing the divorce. It was over. She wished she knew what came next.
These 100 words were prompted by VelvetVerbosity.com: “quiet”
Those first moments of realization that a marriage is finally over, must be the loneliest.
I hope to never know this first-hand. This week’s submission comes from the empathy I feel. I pray for all of the lonely people who are wondering “what’s next?”
yes! beautifully empathetic – well said, Fran
Thank you, Barbara!
Particularly nice how the motion remains indeterminate, underlines the quiet, Robin
Thank you, Robin! That’s just what I was hoping to capture.
Sad. But funny how the not knowing what comes next is scarier than the actual thing of something ending.
Every day can be scary if you spend too much time thinking about it. My dear friend and I balance each other, alternately offering pearls of wisdom and words of peace when the other end of the teeter totters.