Thursday, July 14, 2011

Worth It

It's that time again! Time for the Indie Ink challenge. I swear one of these day's I'll write something that isn't in response to these challenges but for now you get what you get. My challenge this week comes from Cedar.


Role reversal: The housewife has become the sole provider.

I struggled with this a little bit. Only because I have no clue as to what it would feel like to be a housewife. But I know all about being sole-provider. It's up to me and me alone to keep the dog and cat in kibble and the roof over our heads. I'm green with envy towards the lucky people who have found someone to love and help pay the bills.  Not to mention the hugs I could demand whenever I want...

~~~~~~
The baby was crying again. 

Jane cracked open one eye and saw the alarm read 5:57. Three minutes before it would start screaming at her to WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP! For some reason she was really resentful of losing those three tiny minutes. But the baby was crying and her husband was snoring, as usual.

"Simon," she nudged her husband, "Gaby's awake." No response. "Oh don't get up, darling. You rest up for your big day of sitting on the couch. Let me see to your daughter," Jane grumbled throwing off the blanket and yanking on her bathrobe.  5:59. At least the alarm would wake him up, she thought with a slight smile.

***

"Honey I'm home!" Jane called out as she walked into the kitchen from the garage. No response. "Simon?" Her heels click-clacked on the tile she'd agonized over the summer before. She still wasn't sure she'd made the right choice. The slate gray was gorgeous, but she'd been drawn to a pale green as well. Simon had voted for the gray so that's what they ended up with. That and a staggering second mortgage that was currently eating up the majority of of their savings while Simon looked for another job.

She'd walked all through the downstairs of their house noticing that for once Simon had managed to clean-up after himself and their daughter. The toy box hadn't been properly closed, but it looked like all of the toys were inside it so she'd let it slide.

"Simon!" she yelled this time. Her voice echoing back at her. Their entryway with its twenty foot ceiling and eight foot wide staircase was ridiculously over-the-top. But at the time they entertained, a lot, and it had seemed to make sense.

Jane looped her purse and laptop bag over the newel post and started up the stairs. Pausing half-way up to remove her shoes. "Much better," she sighed as her aching feet met the soft carpet.

She peeked in Gaby's room as she passed, the lights were off and her crib empty. She made her way to the last door at the end of the hall. Passed out on the bed, surrounded by children's books was her husband. Their eighteen month old daughter curled up against his chest. Both sound asleep.

Jane let her shoes fall from her fingers onto the plush carpet as she took of her jacket and crawled into bed next to the most important people in her world with a smile.


3 comments:

Cedar said...

Nice! Very sweet. I wondered about the challenge, but it's been on my mind a lot recently, so I thought I'd share! LOL.

Tobie said...

Thanks so much! It gets addicting, the new challenge every week def. keeps me on my toes.

Anonymous said...

Ah, this was so sweet! The tension first and then to give in to emotions... It was lovely. :)
- andrea