Flowers of Winter
OCTOBER 15th
Roo left a note on the kitchen table.
Gone out for lunch and a movie with Grace. Be home late.
Much Love, Roo.
Roo grabbed her umbrella and caught the ten past one bus. The windows were foggy and an old man kept looking at her. She jumped off the bus one stop early to get away from his beady eyes. The rain fell hard, she sang quietly until she arrived at the café.
Her washing tumbled in the machine as she nibbled on pesto pasta and sipped peach iced tea. That was the connivance of eating at a café slash Laundromat. Roo listed to Grace's words about Vietnam and elephants with her ears but her mind was cluttered with other thoughts.
After the movie Roo walked home. It was only once she walked through the front door that she realised she didn’t have her umbrella. The rain had stopped during lunch; she didn’t remember having it at the movies.
The house was silent. Ruskin wasn’t home yet. Roo sighed and folded his clean clothes and placed them in his draws. Down in the kitchen she poured herself some hot chocolate. Ruskin’s old cup was still sitting by the sink. Roo sighed, he never washed up after himself. She placed it under the bench to keep it out of the way.
Your mug from last week’s hot chocolate is under the sink. Clean it! I’m going to bed, come home soon. Night night xx
With her text message sent, Roo walked up to her bedroom and fell asleep, quietness soaking the house.