You Left Me

The dark corridor was never easy to cross, but she tried it anyway. Slippers shuffled under her tiny feet. Nothing else was heard in the house. Her first thought was coffee. She pressed the button and jumped into her favorite couch. The old coffee machine was working slowly. She didn’t like mornings, especially since then. Somehow, everything felt so uncomfortably real. She managed to escape into her dreams at night, but as soon as the sun came up, it all started again. Like a shoddy treadwheel. When you are waiting for the sore to heal, and then, when it’s close, you tear it down again to relieve the pain once more.  

Her eyes strayed to the calendar. It’s March again. She waited. But the one she’s been waiting for, won’t come.  

The smell of fresh coffee gave her a reason to live. It was almost ten o’clock. That meant only one thing: Jenny. She is her only sunshine in these dark days. Papa loved her so much. They were inseparable. She loved to be in the garage with him, watching him repair the car. Her little hands were always black before lunch. Granny was angry, but deep down also happy for their specific bond.  

Corny was barking so loud. The old door opened, squeaking. Jenny had a thousand packages in her hand.  

‘Don’t move granny,’ she said while kissing her.  

‘Sit down, honey, I’ll pour you some coffee,’ she said with a weak smile. 

She was a tall girl, with blond hair and a kind heart. Her light blue eyes were always shining when she was watching the old pictures on the wall.  Where are those forty years? Here. Well, twenty of them.  

‘Oh granny, I remember that hot August day. Papa went out to put the Cola in the river. I would give anything to drink that cold Cola again,’ she said while laughing.  

‘Oh sweetheart, we all miss him,’ she said while heading to the chamber to hide her tears.  

She felt that she couldn’t hold them back. Not on that day.