It is a cold and strange afternoon as Cindy Hu was eating her dinner in her tiny quiet New York City apartment.
6:00 PM: Cindy comes home starving from work and hangs her trench coat. She had to arrive at her work place two hours earlier than her required time and stay thirty minutes overtime. She had not eaten breakfast or lunch as her boss called multiple emergency meetings which cut into her break times.
6:12 PM: Cindy slips into soft slippers and grabs her towel. She turns on the faucet and peels off her clothing. Her stomach grumbles but she dismisses it as best she could.
6:15 PM: Cindy brittle skin steps into the steaming shower. She enjoys small moments like her bath time where she could unwind. Her stomach grumbles again, she dismisses it.
6:43 PM: Cindy enters her bedroom to dry herself and dress. She combs her hair and apply lotions to her skin.
6:57 PM: She places chicken in her oven and boils peas to add to her plate. She picks mini carrots out of the fridge and slices a bread to add to her dinner.
7:23 PM: Cindy sets the table. One plate. One glass. One fork. One spoon. One knife. All cutlery placed in a particular order every night.
7:49 PM: The chicken gets to see the plate first, then the peas, then the bread, and last the carrots. She grabs an apple cider from the fridge and pours 6 ounces exactly.
8:00 PM: Cindy sits at her table with a robe enclosing her body. Her legs fold and her hands holding cutleries as her tiring eyes looks down.
8:02 PM: Thirteen peas. Two baked chicken drum sticks. One slice of bread. Three mini carrots. She can not resist the scent of her dinner. A dinner she has every night.
8:16 PM: She is on her last piece of carrot. A smile cracks on her pale lips. She looks at her blossoms she has arranged to be a centerpiece and locks her fingers at the stem. She gaze to her mail neatly stack across from her resting hand.
8:19 PM: Cindy puts down her fork and slide her plate to the side. Carefully she picks up one white envelope after another and glances at it. Her mouth twist and she flickers the envelope to the back of the stack. The same gesture happens to the second, third, fourth and - she stares at the fifth.
8:21 PM: Crumpling her lips and thinning her eyes, she brings it closer to her vision. She reads the return address, "Rusk Institute Manhattan, NY"
8:22 PM: A dawning of dread comes upon her. Cindy tears the sides of the envelope taking the papers out. As she reads, a look of desperation, fear, and finally acceptance formed on her face.
8:25 PM: She gaze at her blossoms hanging over their weak limbs. This letter is confirmation of her suspicions and she knows this would be a turning point in her life.
8:30 PM: She is no longer hungry.
YOU ARE READING
Frozen Blossoms
General FictionCindy Hu is a perfectionist, obsessed with time. She feels safe and comforted in rules, order, and organization but a letter turns her world up-side down. Her safe world is crumbling. Wanting to leave on a better terms with herself, Cindy abandons h...
