Agreed

This is my response to an assignment entitled: Interior Landscape of Your Characters: The Power of “Seemed” and “Probably.”


The day starts out with a perfectly overcast sky. He is sipping his second cup of black coffee by the time he notices the autumn colors of the trees on the gray of the sky are excuse enough to get his camera and get outside. He is finishing his third cup by the time he decides that sort of effort would be too much for him in his current state of mind.

He is thinking about his fourth cup of coffee when he notices the pile of papers and envelopes strewn on the countertop. A brown envelope sticks out from within the pile and his skin prickles. From where he stands he can see his last name on the address and he knows the handwriting in an instant. He would know that handwriting anywhere.

He stands for a moment longer, probably for dramatic effect or because he suddenly thinks maybe he doesn’t really want what he has asked for. He doesn’t know the exact contents of the envelope yet but he knows it contains what he has asked her for because she said she would send it. He asked for it. She agreed.

He puts down his empty coffee cup before reaching for the envelope. The rest of the mail just falls away. A few even spill to the floor but he doesn’t notice. He notices the stiffness of the brown paper in his hands. He notices how light the envelope feels. He notices how his heart beats a little faster whenever he sees her handwriting, especially when she writes his name.

He tears open the envelope and finds two smaller, pink envelopes inside. They smell of lavender. They smell of her. His nose begins to tingle the way it does before emotion overcomes him. He rips open the pink envelope labeled, “What you asked for,” and finds a steel navel ring with a moon charm hanging from it. His eyes begin to burn. He rips open the one labeled, “What I want to leave you with,” and finds a silver thimble. He feels the sting, not just in his eyes that are spilling over but on the inside where it counts.



This is how I ease my own sting. He asked for it. I agreed.