The sun is rising when Mike finally pulls into his driveway, but as he gets out of his car, that doesn’t matter. The clouds obscure most of the light. Snow pelts his face as he pulls the collar of his coat higher, muttering how stupid he was to not bring a hat and gloves to work. He fidgets with his key at the side door, the chill of the wind numbing his arthritic fingers. When the lock clicks, he heaves his shoulder into the door, pushing it open with great effort.
He shrugs out of his coat and boots and leaves them on the mat by the door. He goes for the fridge and pulls out a beer, opens it, and begins drinking it before he reaches his worn armchair in front of the TV. Flopping into the familiar comfort, he flips on the TV to watch the latest weather update.
“Damn weather people,” he grumbles. “Stupid blizzard. Half the time you guys ain’t right, and when you are, it’s usually even worse than you told us it’d be.”
Several inches of snow have already piled up. The drive home from work took nearly two hours. Mike looks out the window, only to see snow sticking to the screen.
He changes the channel to some old western and keeps the volume low. He finishes his beer and belches, then lights up a cigarette and considers his options. The weather man said the snow wasn’t expected to stop until that evening. Even then, the roads would likely be a mess until tomorrow.
Mike already told his boss he wouldn’t be in for the next two days, explaining the situation. Marty gave his condolences, told him not to worry, and that was the end of the conversation.
He finishes the cigarette and puts it out in the tray on the foldable table next to the armchair. As Mike gazes around the living room at the shabby, stained carpet littered with takeaway wrappers, the dust-laden furniture, and the grimy windows, he knows Barb would be disappointed, if not downright disgusted, with him.
“I’m gonna go to Cal, honey,” he murmurs, pushing himself to standing.
He stops halfway across the room, glancing from the treadmill to the entrance to the kitchen. He turns and heads for the bathroom instead. After relieving several ounces of coffee, Mike stares at the scale and weighs himself. Five more pounds than last time. He shoves the thing aside and returns to the kitchen for another beer and a new bag of chips. Breakfast of champs.
It’s back to the armchair. Mike drinks, smokes, and eats away his sorrows until he falls asleep. He dreams of Barb, but she isn’t smiling at him.
When he wakes, the snow hasn’t let up. Mike grumbles as he removes his glasses to wipe the sleep out of his eyes, surprised to find tears gathered there. With a growl, he stands and tosses the glasses to the chair.
He goes to the bedroom. The bed sits unused and dusty, nothing different from the day Barb died. Her clothes still hang in the closet. Her jewelry box and bottles of perfume rest undisturbed on the dresser. This room is a memorial, a monument to his dear wife.
Mike drops to his knees next to the bed, as if he’s about to pray. He cries out in pain, but it’s his knees that hurt–or so he tries to tell himself. He gropes under the bed and pulls out a box. He opens it.
The first thing he removes is his wedding album. He touches the faded photo of them walking down the aisle after their vows, in sickness and in health…till death us do part. Mike shakes his shaggy head and doesn’t try to stop the tears now. His vision blurs as he sets the album down and takes out the next one. Calvin as a newborn, crawling, walking, his first haircut, preschool, kindergarten, and all those birthdays, milestones, and school pictures that mark a child’s life growing up.
It’s too much. Mike closes the album with a snap and returns both to the box. The box is hidden away again, and he stands. He has disturbed the sanctuary of this room, and he hates himself for it.
He returns to the armchair, his safe haven, and falls asleep.
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