Disclaimer: This month’s prompt and I did not get along. I tried to write two different stories with it, but nothing clicked for me. However, this was actually the better of the two. SIGH. Happy reading and writing!
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The yellow lines on the highway sped by in a blur, and we flew through the night, and we felt free. But we weren’t, and we knew it. We were running away from something, and running away was never the path to freedom. I thought about telling John to turn back. I thought about suggesting we turn around and face the music, but then I saw his face. He looked carefree. It had been a long time since I’d seen him look that way. He was actually smiling. His brown hair was a little longer than normal, which was probably due to the stress of the last couple of months. Who had time for haircuts with everything we’d been through.
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3 months earlier…
“John!” I yelled as he was heading out the door for work.
He turned to me with a question on his face. I knew he was running late. I handed him his lunch and he smiled gratefully. He didn’t actually say anything. Today was the big day. Today he would find out if he got the job. He’d been working hard for this his whole life. After 25 years on the job, he was up for a big promotion. I didn’t say anything else either; I knew he was remaining quiet to hide his anxiety.
I waited all day for him to call me, but he didn’t. I kept busy by cleaning everything I could think of. I scrubbed the bathrooms, mopped the kitchen, wiped down all surfaces, and vacuumed the whole house. When I did all that, I even washed, folded, and put away all the laundry. He still didn’t call. I decided to go for a walk. As I left the house, I found John.
He was sitting in the driveway with his car running. He had his head pressed forward on to his hands leaning on the steering wheel. I walked up to his car and tapped the window. When he looked up and saw me, I could tell he’d been crying.
After 28 years of marriage, I knew something terrible had happened. I’d only seen him cry once before this.
Still Working on My Novel 