Issue 14
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Catherine Talley
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I'm Fine
Like every other Thursday at 5:30, Leslie walked in carrying two grocery
bags. Martin, slumped in his recliner, glanced up.
"How are we today?" Leslie chirped.
"I'm fine. Like always," he grumped.
She shrugged, taking the groceries into the kitchen. He inhaled deeply,
steeling himself for what came next...
The groceries stored, Leslie returned to pat his hand. Martin never
understood patting.
"Dad, you can't stay by yourself. Come live with us," she droned. "We all
love you."
Martin suppressed mild nausea. "I'm fine," he emphasized.
"Let me take Mom's plants. You don't need that trouble."
"NO," he insisted. "Your mother taught me what to do."
Leslie persisted. "I'll help you to bed then."
"I'm fine," he repeated.
She stared a bit, clutched her keys, kissed him on the head, and headed
toward the door. "I'll see you on Thursday," she called.
Martin rose and walked to the window, standing aside until her Buick disappeared. Humming, he adjusted the plants so there was a three finger space between them just like his wife had when she was alive.
Grinning now, he strode into the bedroom, changed his clothes, and then picked up the phone and made dinner reservations for two.
~Catherine Talley
Catherine Talley spends many hours a week laboring to support her food buying habit. In her spare time she is a fiber artist and writer.
© 2003 by Catherine Talley. All Rights Reserved.
© Copyright 2003 by Cayuse Press. All Rights Reserved.