Reflections of
by Brian Ross
Genre: Drama
Swearwords: None.
Description: A brief - and internal - look at a husband trapped in his marriage.
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I straighten my tie, shoot my cuffs, and look at myself in the mirror, but the man in the glass doesn’t have a smile for me this evening. He stares back at me as if he doesn’t really know who I am anymore, and I have to say, sometimes I’m not so sure myself.
I drop my eyes from his and turn away, but I’m sure he is still looking at me, judging me. Staring. He is ashamed of the shadow I have become. I continue to get dressed with my back to him, and the unspoken guilt is hot against my neck.
The smell of deception is difficult to mask with cheap cologne, but still, tonight I wear a little more than on other days. In my hand are a dozen red roses, and around it, an oversized purple bow. It’s her favourite colour, but it’s just another distraction.
There will be chocolates as well, possibly jewellery. Earrings. A necklace. Maybe I can whisk her away to New York for the weekend. She is always saying how she wants to go there. In a big city like that, a man could lose his tell-tale heart forever without even trying.
The meal will be good, but I’ll say it’s great. I will order lots of wine, most of which she will drink. Hell, champagne. Love has no price, but eventually the lies will. Keep her smiling. Build the good memories now, and they will catch you when you fall.
But it is all just smoke and mirrors in the end: sleight of hand from a self-made magician. Down the line there will be much regret and many tears. Perhaps even forgiveness. But even if all my apologies are accepted, these things are never truly forgotten.
For now, I leave the man in the mirror to hold on to my secret shame, for as long as he can bear to do so. Tonight, at least, his lips are sealed.
Swearwords: None.
Description: A brief - and internal - look at a husband trapped in his marriage.
_____________________________________________________________________
I straighten my tie, shoot my cuffs, and look at myself in the mirror, but the man in the glass doesn’t have a smile for me this evening. He stares back at me as if he doesn’t really know who I am anymore, and I have to say, sometimes I’m not so sure myself.
I drop my eyes from his and turn away, but I’m sure he is still looking at me, judging me. Staring. He is ashamed of the shadow I have become. I continue to get dressed with my back to him, and the unspoken guilt is hot against my neck.
The smell of deception is difficult to mask with cheap cologne, but still, tonight I wear a little more than on other days. In my hand are a dozen red roses, and around it, an oversized purple bow. It’s her favourite colour, but it’s just another distraction.
There will be chocolates as well, possibly jewellery. Earrings. A necklace. Maybe I can whisk her away to New York for the weekend. She is always saying how she wants to go there. In a big city like that, a man could lose his tell-tale heart forever without even trying.
The meal will be good, but I’ll say it’s great. I will order lots of wine, most of which she will drink. Hell, champagne. Love has no price, but eventually the lies will. Keep her smiling. Build the good memories now, and they will catch you when you fall.
But it is all just smoke and mirrors in the end: sleight of hand from a self-made magician. Down the line there will be much regret and many tears. Perhaps even forgiveness. But even if all my apologies are accepted, these things are never truly forgotten.
For now, I leave the man in the mirror to hold on to my secret shame, for as long as he can bear to do so. Tonight, at least, his lips are sealed.
About the Author
Brian Ross was born in Australia, but has lived in Scotland for most of his life. He has over ninety publications to his name - from humour (Defenestration) to horror (Shadowed Realms), mystery (Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine) to mainstream (Southern Ocean Review). He appears in the first three volumes of paperback horror anthology, Read By Dawn, available from Bloody Books, and An Eclectic Slice of Life, from Dark Prints Press.
He is married, both to his wife and his words, and runs a blog of his literary wanderings at http://briangrantross.blogspot.com.
He is married, both to his wife and his words, and runs a blog of his literary wanderings at http://briangrantross.blogspot.com.