Wednesday April 8th, 2015

The exercise:

Write about: the U-turn.

I had planned on spending most of my morning with Max in town, running a couple errands and going to the park. We ended up at and around Kat's parents place instead because I need to learn to stop making plans while he's in this phase.

A lot of my afternoon was spent doing things I'd hoped to get done in the morning, so it was a generally unproductive day for me.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better in that regard.

Mine:

One moment we were going full steam ahead, the view out the passenger window a green blur of trees. The next you were heavy on the breaks, bringing everything gradually back into focus. And now we're going back the way we came.

"I forgot something."

Those are your words. Innocent enough on their own, I suppose. But I don't like the way you said them. And I especially don't like the way you started chewing on the inside of your right cheek after you said it.

"What is it?"

I don't really want to know the answer, but I ask anyway. I feel obligated to inquire. As though if I only offered silence in reply I wouldn't be holding up my end of our unspoken agreement.

"It's a... it's sort of... hard to explain."

God, it's that bad? Maybe I should just undo my seat belt, open my door, and take my chances. The immediate physical damage would surely be less than the long term psychological punishment of staying.

"Oh." A short pause that feels much longer. "I guess... I'll just have to wait and see, huh?"

You smile and nod, obviously relieved. About what... who knows. I go back to studying the green ocean of trees you're driving us through and... what? Find something to distract myself with, get my thoughts elsewhere. I do what I need to do.

It's going to be a long two hours until we get back home.