waking

When he woke, the next morning, she was already up, already almost dressed. He lay in bed for a few moments, listening to the silence. They were at a small motel in upstate Wisconsin. It had snowed overnight – 16 inches – and, oddly, he thought, he felt the weight of the snow, not its lightness. He closed his eyes and made a pledge, to himself: he would make her love him, somehow convince her to love him. She entered the bedroom, now, came to the bed and sat near him. She told him she was heading downstairs to get coffee and said he should join her as soon as possible. He reached for her arm and tried to gently tug her into a hug, but she smiled and pulled away. Coffee, she said. And breakfast. She was hungry.