Another assignment for one of my writing classes:
Mary was fed up with Bob and didn’t quite know how to deal with it.
It had been for some time now that she had realized she wasn’t happy. Her feelings had changed. She used to be content with him. But then, time had passed, and he just wasn’t the same man from before. He seemed somehow less than he had been, just a dim reflection of the man she had first met. She was disappointed. In him, and in herself. Now she just felt empty, even slightly ill around him. Something was missing.
Mary shook her head slowly as she gazed down at Bob as he reclined in the usual chair. He seemed so peaceful. And why not? He didn’t know how hollow and alone she felt. “Had it all been for nothing?” she wondered. She caressed his face tenderly and tucked a lonely, graying hair behind his ear. If only he would open his eyes, then maybe, just maybe things could change. They could change together. Work things out, give it another go. She could be less demanding, couldn’t she? Take less of him? He could make her feel that way again, couldn’t he? That special way she had only ever felt with him, and only at the beginning- completely full of abundance and love? He had been the missing part of her, once. But maybe no one person could ever be enough.
She took her hand away and pondered her situation. Maybe it was too late. The magic was gone, but why? Why had his sweetness faded? When had her hunger for him dwindled away into detachment, and then revulsion? Where was that flavor, that zest, that delicious satisfaction? His essence seemed to saturate the air. Once, that had been an invigorating comfort, but now… she didn’t think she could stomach much more. Mary sighed. It was time to move on. There just wasn’t any room left for him in her life. Or in her belly. She was still hungry, but it was time to find someone new to eat.