Daniel - 3WW

"You only hear what you want to hear, did you know that?" Jenny yelled from the kitchen. Daniel listened to her slam things around, her curse when something shattered on the floor. It only served to work her up even more as she railed about his shortcomings, "I hate how you can just twist things to your own advantage and do what the hell you want! What about me?" She slammed the refrigerator door this time.


Daniel shook his head as she continued to harp. His wife's once honey-smooth voice was now as abrasive as the sixty grit he used last summer to strip the dining-room floor. He shifted his bare feet against the smooth surface, thinking about Kim's smoky rasp. His skin tingled with recent memory.


Daniel sighed and continued to eat his meal. She made meatloaf again but this time, she added her version of mushroom risotto. Daniel turned up his nose at the gloopy mess on his plate. She really knows how to make a great meatloaf, he thought, too bad she ruined the risotto. Kim is the better cook, that's for sure.  

Daniel looked up when Jenny came from the kitchen to glare at him. He took in her drawn expression, her lips pinched with anger, the fine web of lines deepening around her eyes and mouth. The once natural red hair was now a cheap imitation thanks to Miss Clairol. It didn't crackle with energy anymore. Like the rest of Jenny, it was limp and lifeless, and hung about her shoulders like it forgot to be vibrant.

Daniel averted his eyes, calmly chewing another mouthful, she's aging really badly, he mourned, where did my Jenny go? Her excitement was more than a handful not that long ago and now I have this shrewish bitter woman standing sentinel over me. 
  
Now, Kim...Daniel was careful to keep his expression blank. 
Young, fresh and another natural redhead. 
And she was waiting for him. 

While Jenny launched into another tirade about how she could've done better than him, Daniel cut another piece of the meatloaf and popped it into his mouth. He thought about how much it would be Jenny's loss when he walked out the door tonight for the last time.

Daniel glanced down at his plate, relieved to see that he had one more bite left.


© copyright 2011 by Ren Thompson February 2, 2011

3 Word Wednesday