Frost

My back hurts, I have been trying to crack this puzzle for the past five hours and it’s like every time I get close to it I end up being taken to where I started. We are a growing advertising firm and sadly the ladder to success hasn’t been a smooth one for us because we have had a lot of hurdles the past two years but now an opportunity has presented itself to clinch a big client that would not only turn the company around but the rest of the staff members and he has put me in charge of doing that but it looks like I am failing even before I start.

I close my eyes, pushing the files on my table away and switching off the PC because my eyes feel like they are on fire. I hate that I have to be the one to knock off late almost every other day but then again my career is on the line and there are things that need to be done that won’t be once I am home.

I open my eyes when my phone starts to ring, it’s Dainty. I watch it ring until the line cuts, we aren’t in the best of books right now so talking to him might just worsen my mood.

When the line cuts I hear a knock at the door and then it opens, it’s him.

‘Dainty.’ I say with embarrassment

‘I see you are deliberately avoiding my calls.’

I sigh

‘You know why I didn’t pick up.’

‘We had a misunderstanding, how are we going to walk past that if you don’t want to talk to me?’

I sigh deeply, he has a point and of course I can’t completely ignore him because we will be returning to the same house.

Dainty and I met five years ago, I was at the super market deciding whether to buy popcorn or peanuts in the snacks isle when he walked up to me and told me popcorn was a better choice. I didn’t even realize that someone had been watching me and I was a bit embarrassed but I went with his choice.

Weirdly I met him outside waiting for a taxi and I offered him a lift that was the beginning of our friendship.

Seventeen months later he met my people and after a stressful two months of preparations we tied the knot, we have been married for the past three years now. Like any couple we have had our struggles but the worst was having lost our two days old son last year and we both look okay but I don’t think we have healed - because I haven’t.

‘You have done enough for the day, it’s time for us to go home.’ He says stretching out his hand.

‘Just a few more minutes and I will be done.’ I say

He shakes his head, he is genuinely concerned but right now his concern won’t make my work any easier.

‘Dainty can l?’

He cuts me short by shaking his head.

‘You have worked enough!’ He says

I sigh deeply and I am about to present more argument when his phone rings, he removes it from the pocket and looks at the screen for a few seconds before picking up. He speaks for a few minutes and cuts the line.

‘Ginger is inviting us for dinner tonight.’

‘Tonight?’

‘Babe we have been turning down her offer for months now, don’t you think it’s time we visited her?’

‘And how many times have we hosted her?’

‘You know it’s different and she is my sister, we can’t shun her away forever.’

‘I am not shunning her away.’ I say through gritted teeth

‘Chill babe, we are not fighting.’ He says and I sigh deeply falling back into my chair

He looks at me worriedly but then shields it, I have already seen it and it has made me sick to my stomach there is no way he can just brush it off like it hasn’t happened.

Wordlessly I turn off my computer and pack whatever I need for home, I don’t sleep much so I carry my work and when sleep deserts me I work through till morning.

He looks at the laptop bag and doesn’t say anything, to make him feel better I agree to the dinner with Ginger. I know if I can pretend to be happy and play happy wife he won’t mind that I work in the night.

..

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Winnie

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