She runs her fingers through her hair, making sure to pull it back in a lazy bun. As she pulls her hair up, she checks that her children are snuggled under their blankets, pretending to sleep. Smiling, she turns the lights off and says goodnight one more time.
When she enters the living room, her husband is starting to get up. He gathers his cup, which is in need of a refill, and his phone. He walks to the kitchen with her right behind him. He places the items down and reaches for his jacket.
They stay quiet – no need fill the silence.
He opens the garage and walks out to the chill spring night. His jacket is quickly zipped up. She, on the other hand, finds the cool air refreshing.
A cigarette finds its way to his mouth. She turns as he brings a flame to the end. The warm glow gives way to a small orange tip. With his first puff taken, she turns away and tilts her head up to the night sky.
The stars begin to whisper their stories to her and she relays them to him. He stands quiet, only taking puffs every so often, but with a small smile. He does not question her stories; he only lets her go wild with them.
As the short stories come to an end she points up and quietly says “there he is.”
He knows what she means. Her favorite constellation, Orion. Her other love. Her stars.
Spinning quickly, she watches him flick the cigarette. Stomping out the cherry, they both shuffle to the house.
Soon, Orion will be gone for the summer, but she will always have her husband.
She will always have the man who will quietly listen to her stories, under the supervision of the stars.
Image Credit: Ian C. Grey
About the author, Selena Taylor
Selena Taylor is a wife, a mother, and a woman who strives to tell the many stories that occupy her mind. She is active in the Rhett & Link fandom and appreciates dark humor. She and her family live in Illinois, where she takes every opportunity to lose herself under the stars and let her imagination run wild. For more from Selena, check her out on Facebook.