Michael

Marital issues

Alan, a scraggly man, mid thirties, sat across from his wife, Samantha, she hadn't said anything the entire day so Alan decided to speak up, "How was your day, dear?"

"..."

"How was work?"

"..."

"Is everything alright?"

"..."

"Do you want to talk?"

"..."

"Okay"

Alan held the ring around his finger in his hand as he thought of what was happening, Is she alright? He was concerned. Samantha had barely talked for an entire week, but today, she hadn't said anything. A kettle started to whistle, Alan made his way to the kitchen, grabbed the pot and two tea cups, poured the contents of the kettle into the cups and brought them over to the table, setting them down. "You really should eat or drink something, Samantha, you haven't had anything today."

"I'm fine.", those were the first words Alan had ever heard from her today

"It's not safe, you don't need to eat but you do need to drink something." Samantha reached for the cup and slowly brought it towards herself, "Why are you so annoying today?"

"Because you haven't spoken to me all day. It's worrying me, we're supposed to have some form of communication, especially since we've been married for almost a decade." Alan couldn't handle the silence, Samantha was always so talkative, the silence was unsettling, he could barely handle it an hour, let alone a week.

"I haven't spoken to you all week, you should be used to it by now."

"But you always talk to me, even when you're in a bad mood."

"I just don't want to talk, is that so bad?"

"For an entire week? How are you not in the mood to speak for an entire week?"

"I'm going to bed, don't bother coming with me, you're sleeping on the couch."

"Why?"

"I don't want to talk to you tonight."

"Yes dear." Samantha got up and began to make her way to the bedroom, she turned off the light Alan was using before leaving the room. Alan got up to turn the light back on until he saw a glow coming from under their bedroom door, I thought she said she was going to bed? What is she doing? Alan went over to their door and opened it, no sooner than he did, Samantha had shut off her phone and put it under the covers, "Alan, what are you doing, I said you were sleeping on the couch."

"I was just getting a blanket, and didn't you also say you were going to bed?"

"Going to BED, not going to sleep, there's a difference."

"Well then why were you so quick to hide the fact that you were on your phone?"

"I was not. Get your blanket and get out of here already." Samantha grabbed a small, blue, cloth, blanket and threw it at the door, Alan picked it up and left the room. As he laid on the couch he couldn't help but wonder what she was doing before he came into the room.