The pieces are scattered, some on the board, some on thefloor, few under the sofa. She crawls, stretches to reach and retrieve the errant rook, bishop, pawns, save them from dust bunny hell. Staring at the pieces in her hand, the fallen pieces, she thinks, I've fallen too. Is there is someone, anyone to throw me a ladder, a line, a lifeline, anyone to help me climb out of this chasm? Shaking her head, I wish. But there is no one on the other side. No one.
A giant open mouth, crocodile jaws, the walls press in on her, aggravate her vertigo. Vertigo attacks looking up are rare compared to those looking down, yet they do happen. Closes her eyes and replays the game, tries to find the point just before the game board flew across the room, the point just before the calls started, the point just before her life became chalk.
Picking up the phone, she waits for it to ring, moth to a flame, fascinated yet repulsed by the voice of the stranger, the stranger that used to live with the man who says he loves her, loves her so much, loves her like he's never loved anyone ever ever ever.
"I'm telling you this for your own good." Click!
"You don't know what you're getting into." Click!
"You'll be sorry." Click!
"He will play you and use you. I don't want you hurt. Call me." Click!
"You think you're something? You think you're so all that? So special? You are just a worthless piece of trash." Click!
"Listen, cunt, leave my husband alone." Click!
"You don't even have the guts to answer the phone." Click!
"Here's my email. Please. I need to talk to you." Click!
"Wow, he sure has you fooled. You're just another one of his whores, latest in a long, long line of whores. How could you do this? We were so happy!" Click!
"Get out of my life, bitch!" Click!
""I'll get you." Click!
"We have dogs. We have grandchildren. I want him back." Click!
"He'll treat you like he treats me." Click!
Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.
The words fill her, put her on a slide under the wrong end of the microscope.
The phone vibrates; she waits for the machine to answer and wonders how she will escape.
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