Don't Leave

He was not sleeping, he was not sobbing anymore either. The apartment was full of daylight, inappropriately, and he was curled up under a blanket in their bed. Among the stillness and endless waiting, he heard  the front door unlock. She still had they key.

He got up and staggered to the front room.

”Oh, Sam,” she was bright as the sun, but her face was clouded, “I didn’t know you would be here."

"Melinda,” he said faintly.

”You’re not at work?"

"It’s my day off. Are you…” back? He wanted to ask, but he dared not.

”I’m here to pick up my stuff. I need some things. I’m sorry, I should have called."

"No, that’s okay. I mean, yeah, take whatever you need."

"Just my stuff, Sam. I’m only here to get my stuff."

"Whatever. I don’t care,” he said, walking into the other room. He remembered her smell, it was all over the blankets, but it would be gone soon. Is that for the best?

He was looking outside the window, listening to her pick up her things. He was waiting for her to come into the room. When she did:

“Why?"

"Sam…"

"Why did you leave me, Melinda? Was I not good to you?"

"There is someone else, you know that, Sam."

"I know, but why? Why is there someone else?"

"Sam, please,” she said, “I’ll just come back later, okay? Let me know when you will be out and I will come back later.”

She was out the door before he could collect himself. He stood in the middle of the front room for a long while, his legs wide apart, his head low, his eyes shut tight. Then he relaxed and said into the empty air.

”I will kill him. I will kill everybody in the world so there is only me and her.”

Posted by: Paweł Kowaluk