She sat on a chair in the den reading a book, but was unable to concentrate. Her eyes continuously drifted to where he sat sleeping in front of the television, his head thrown back, his mouth slightly open. His right shoulder was pressed against the arm of the sofa, and his left hand was thrown across the dog as it lay sleeping beside him. He desperately needed a haircut, and as she lowered her eyes, she caught sight of his big toe poking through a hole in his sock.

Something suddenly caught her eye and she gasped, causing him to jump. “Spider!” She pointed to the floor as it quickly scurried across.

He leaned forward, picked up his slipper, and smacked it. After tossing the slipper back to the floor, he reached for the remote control.

She looked at the spider lying there dead. “Are you just going to leave it there?”

He stared at her for a long moment with that smirk on his face she had come to despise in recent months, then slowly walked into the kitchen to get a napkin. After picking the spider up, he lay down on the couch and began to channel surf, holding the crumpled napkin in his hand.

Looking at him in disgust, she snapped her book shut. “I’m going to bed.”

“I’ll be there in a little while,” he said, never once looking at her.

She wanted to say, “Don’t do me any favors,” but felt tired of arguing. It seemed as though that’s all they ever did, unless they had one of their major blowouts. Then they’d give each other the silent treatment for a few days, until one of them finally broke down and spoke first.

She went upstairs into the bathroom, stepping over his work clothes, underpants, socks, and the towel he used after his shower. I could kill him, she thought looking at the mess on the floor. It wasn’t the first time she had such thoughts. She filled the bathtub with hot water, and added a generous capful of bath oil. There has to be a way. There’s got to be!

As she stepped out of her clothes, she determined to end their relationship and finish the rest of her life without him. She turned off the water and smiled as a plan slowly began to unfold in her mind. Stepping into the tub, she reached for the shower curtain as she slipped, hitting her head hard on the side of the tub, knocking herself unconscious. Lying completely submerged for several minutes, he was no longer a part of her life.

copyright © Far Side of Midnight Jan 15, - Apr 15, 2008

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