Chapters

Laury Charland

Creative Writing Editor

Do you ever wonder what comes next? After a big break, I mean. After you’ve been fired, or divorced, or graduated. Do you ever just sit down, look at the dead empty of your home, and think, what the hell do I do now?

It had been a long time since I’d had that thought. My life was on track—career, husband...everything was where I wanted it to be. I was happy.

And then one day, I came home to the lush, green plants in our apartment, the faint smell of cinnamon apple pie, and someone moaning in my bedroom. I creeped through the kitchen, hoping I was wrong, and inched the bedroom door open.

For a second, I thought my chest was being torn open by the sea, but I closed the door, took a deep breath, and sat quietly in the living room. I flipped through a magazine and waited. When they finally came out, she noticed me first. I’d never seen someone leave so quickly.

My husband stared at me for too long and said nothing, nothing at all. I’m not sure when I got up. I’m not sure when I grabbed the bat. It just happened.

Now, I look at the black garbage bag at my feet and sigh, wiping sweat from my forehead. Beyond the trees, the sun is rising. My arms are getting heavy, and I’m too close to the highway to keep digging in the daylight.

What the hell do I do now?