“The Dream” by Holly Sheidenberger
Bolt upright in bed he sat, sweating and panting. Looking left, he sighed gratefully when he saw that she was still next to him.
Remembering the cold look, the papers, the walk away, and the end. Divorce. It was a terrible dream.
He vowed, there in the dark, next to his sleeping wife, to change.
She still raged and cried, for mysterious reasons. But this time, he held her silently.
She still told stories about her day, but this time he listened and tried to care. They weren’t as boring as he had thought.
One day the ice melted and she smiled at him, just like she used to.
A week passed, a month, and a year. They liked each other again.
One morning on the table she left an envelope, with a sticker that said “Please Shred.”
Inside: Divorce papers dated one year ago. The day before The Dream.