The Good Wife (COMPLETE)

Four

I had the day off so I decided to clean up the house a little and go for a run. I think I dreaded the cleaning more than the grueling run I had planned. I was training for a 5k and it was just a few weeks away from the race. I had been amping up the distance slowly so my body got used to it and maybe I wouldn't die during the race. Still, somehow the sweat and sore muscles later seemed better than the mundane activity of house cleaning and toilet scrubbing. I chose the run first so that maybe the endorphins would help motivate me to clean.

I was right. I cranked my music and the cleaning was over before I even realized. Thank goodness. I glanced at the clock and was surprise to realize the day had gone really fast. I still had to run to the grocers so that I could get a few things for dinner so I quickly showered and threw on some clothes.

It was a quick trip with just a couple of items to grab. I breezed through the isles and got what I needed. The lines weren't too long and I hoped in the shortest one I could find. The two people on front of me didn't have many things and I placed my small stack on the belt. The cashier smiled at me as he moved the belt to reach my stuff.

"Hi," his voice was hoarse. "How are you, today?"

I flashed him a kind smile. "I'm well, thank you. How are you?"

"Doing great, thanks for asking." He covered his mouth and coughed a few times. Clearing his throat, he began scanning my items.

The registers all beeped almost as if they were talking to one another. The store was pretty quiet for this time of the day. People were taking their time shopping, mulling around the isles. I much preferred to shop when it was like this rather than shop in the madness around holidays. I once had a woman take a can of soup right from my cart. She took one look at me, said " Sorry, I really need this," and ran off. After that, I tried to avoid the grocers around any kind of holiday.

"Alright, that's $14.27," the cashier said, scanning my last item.

I handed him a twenty from my purse. He took it from me and clicked a few buttons, opening the register drawer. He paused and sneezed, wiping his hands on his pants. Gross. I smiled at him and he got my change and I took it from him.

"Have a good day," I said as I headed towards the doors with my bags. I tried to discreetly slather my hands in hand sanitizer by the entrance. I did not want to get sick.

I stepped out the automatic door to have the sounds of pouring rain greet my ears. I looked up and it was an absolute downpour. Great.  I had no idea it was supposed to rain today, so I had nothing, no coat, no umbrella.  Nothing.  I glanced up at the sky. It was extremely dark with no signs of letting up either. I could see my car from here so I decided to just run for it. I squealed a little as the cold rain hit me. I splashed through the lot and sprinted to my car. Throwing the door open, I jumped in and put the groceries in the passenger seat. I tried to dry my hands on my jeans but they were soaked, too.  Raindrops dripped down my back and onto my face from my hair.  I looked in the rearview mirror and let out a little laugh. I looked kind of like a drowned rat. I found a towel in my backseat and tried to dry off a little so I wouldn't get everything so wet. I cranked the heat and turned my heated seat on so I didn't freeze on the ride home.

Grabbing my keys from my purse, I bolted for the front door of the house and opened it up as quickly as I could. I headed inside and set the groceries down on the kitchen counter. I went to our bathroom and tried to dry off a little more and changed my clothes into something drier. I glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Mark would be home soon.

I headed down to the kitchen and washed my hands. Opening up my bags, I started chopping vegetables for the quick and easy stir-fry I had planned. I finished the last of the carrots and tossed it all into the skillet to cook. I got my book and sat on the counter occasionally stirring the mixture so it didn't burn. When the chicken was done and temped and the vegetables were nice and soft, I turned off the heat and plated it. One look at the clock told me it was five-fifteen. Right on the dot. I hurried, knowing Mark was probably going to walk through the door any minute. I would save him some time and just have it already at the table for him. I even grabbed a can of soda for him and placed it all at his spot at the table. I sat in my usual chair to his right and sipped my drink while listening for a car door.

Five minutes passed. He could just be running late. So I sat and waited. I picked at my food slowly. And waited. And waited some more. My stomach growled loudly and I scarfed down the rest of my cold food. I sighed and cleaned up my plate and washed the pans and cooking utensils. I put his food in the fridge and laid down on the couch and just stared up at the ceiling for a little bit. My phone buzzed and I grabbed it, thinking maybe Mark was calling to tell me he was on his way. My heart fell as I saw it was just a news notification. I put my phone down and closed my eyes for a little bit.

A sound made me jump awake. I sat up, thinking it was Mark. I looked down the hallway to the front door, but no one was there. I peaked my head into the kitchen, but it was empty too. "Mark?" No answer. Another loud noise and I realized it was just thunder. I sighed.

The time read 10:18. I decided to just go up to bed. I'm sure he had to stay late for one thing or another and just didn't think to call me. I was slowly becoming a second thought to him. I crawled under the covers and hugged myself tight, trying to hold my cracking heart together.

At least I worked tomorrow and would get to see someone that enjoyed my company. Jerry was always so sweet. And Brendan would be there too...

Hi everyone!  I know this was a short chapter, but it does play a part in the grand scheme of things!!  Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

Kay