When the buzzer sounded, June realized she had about 45 seconds to take action before her marriage was over. And despite being thoroughly bored, she felt too emotionally lazy to start over. Life was NOT great but it was comfortable and despite Henry, her husband, being utterly boring and always doing the same routine over and over with sex, eating, going out – just EVERYTHING, June was not ready to change her life status from “Predictable” to “Unknown” so abruptly.
“Sam” she half-shouted, “Get the F Up and out! My husband is downstairs!, take the stairs upstairs! Come down and out in 5 minutes”.
Sam, her somewhat-new lover, grunted assent, rolled his eyes and grimaced but moved quickly, a quality she admired in him. He left the apartment quietly and quickly, heading upstairs.
June smoothed the bed covers, and looked for evidence that could betray her before checking herself in the mirror, and briefly scanning the room and bathroom, preparing for Henry.
The apartment door banged open and Henry thudded in, looking confused and disheveled, his suit bunched up. No tie! WTF!??
“What is going on, Henry? Why are you home early? And were you drinking? You look awful!”
Henry collapsed on the bed and put his face deep into the pillow and put his hands on each side of his head as if to block out the world.
Henry gave a long sigh before mumbling “A bad day, June, A bad, bad day”.
“What happened, Henry?”, June said. “What is Bad, bad, and bad?”
Henry turned and looked her with red eyes, and focused. Maybe he HAD been drinking, or maybe from crying, she thought.
Henry continued. “Baby. Downsized! Zip, Zam, Pow. Almost Everyone. The Office, Gone”.
June sat stunned, wondering whether her avoidance of change made any difference. Change had come anyway – Big Time. Henry was not so bold, nor innovative, nor even industrious, she thought, this will not end well.
“Henry baby, we will survive, don’t worry.” Jane told Henry.
How big was Sam’s apartment, she wondered.
THE END.
Henry June Sam