Blue, Queen Ann, Pillow, Rock, Lamp

To say I was blue would be timid. I was devastated. The day was meant to be wondrous. Filled with everything good and right. Instead, the wind blew like a dust bowl and swirled into every crevice. Flowers and tents flew across the lawn like feathers. Napkins and soft pink tablecloths hung in the trees clinging to one side. Tables collapsed and rolled like coins down the lawn's gentle slope. People shouted and screamed as the rain began to pelt their best evening clothes and salon hair. I stood still, soaked with dust, dirt and small rocks collecting on the train of my stark white dress, unable to remove myself from the chaos.

An unwelcome thought persisted, “Was this an omen? Could a random hand of fate force my deepest misgivings about the day?” Jim ran for shelter. I wonder whether he noticed that I wasn't by his side. I looked up and let the water and wind clean the morning from my face, further soiling the dress and sealing my decision. The wind's fury gave me power. The rain cleansed my thoughts. I unzipped my future, stepped out of the pile around my ankles and walked to the house in my long satin slip. No-one would know that I actually felt naked.

The flocked, blue, Queen Ann settee was too filled with pillows from another era to sit. Wet people mingled through the old house dripping on the wide wood plank floors and waiting for the storm to pass. It was oddly quiet. Muffled voices whispered in corners and in the hall. I sat on a step of the curved massive stairs and wondered whether Jim was among the whisperers. Where was he? Stepping down the last step at the foot of the staircase, I turned the corner and knocked over an antique lamp on the hallway table. It broke into a thousand tiny shards. I walked over it, feeling nothing. Where was Jim? The voices grew louder as I turned the corner into the kitchen.

To be continued...