DEPRAVITY : Embry Call

02

I go to work, which essentially boils down to trailing around doctors all day. I do greet some patients and do some diagnosing, but everything that I do, I have to run by the doctor. Such is residency. When I signed up to become a doctor, I knew what I was getting myself into. Pity that it is this. It isn't terrible to work. I deal mostly with loggers who have sustained injuries, and brief aliments and migraines. There's one patient in hospice here, who's ill, but otherwise, hospital work isn't exciting. At least, it's nothing like the television shows most people watch.

After work, it is morning again. I'm exhausted. You cannot sleep properly when you are pumped full of alcohol, so last night's rest was terrible. Still, I know that my dearest darling husband will be home all day. Instead, I head into a diner nearby.

I recognize the woman who serves me. She's one of the ones from the bar. I saw her at Embry's house the morning after. She recognizes me as well and smiles when she sees me.

"Nice to see you again," she smiles. "It's Blythe, right?"

I nod. I don't remember her name. I thought it would never bother me again, but in a town this small, I'm sure to see them everywhere. The trail of my misdeeds. At least Henry rarely leaves the house.

"Right," I answer.

"What can I get you?"

I tell her my order, and though she has a notepad, she doesn't write it down. Instead, she heads back to tell the cook what I ordered herself. The place is pretty full, but it is Sunday morning and I don't imagine there are many places in town to eat. It seems I have found the spot with the best food.

"You know," she begins. "We're doing a fire soon to kick off the beginning of spring if you want to come next Friday."

"Doesn't it rain a lot here?" I ask, furrowing my brow.

"Well, we're hoping to be lucky," she tells me. "If not, we might do an activity at home. We bought a karaoke machine recently if you're into that."

"I'm okay, thanks," I tell her.

She nods and goes to tend to her other tables. I pull out a copy of the newspaper in Forks and do a crossword puzzle. The newspaper was one of the few luxuries I had as a child. Rarely did we ever have cable, and if we did it was only for a month before the bills got too high. Even now, my parents can watch their favourite shows thanks to Henry alone.

Eventually, the girl brings me my food. I put away the newspaper to eat in silence. It's barely different than eating at home anyway. The major difference is that at the diner, someone else cooks for me. I'm responsible for every meal at home.

She brings out the receipt, and on it is a phone number and her name. She's Fawn.

"Don't call," she pulls back her hair to reveal a hearing aid. "It's easier if you text. I also work at the library if you ever want to stop by."

"Sounds good," I have no intention of calling her, but I don't want her to know that.

At the end of everything, I pay for my meal and leave a large tip. I saw the state of that house; they need all the money they can get. However, I'm concerned that she'll convince herself that we are friends now.

The drive back home is peaceful. I stare out my windows, listening with music on. It begins to rain, but it's not a torrential downpour. The roads don't get too slippery. I think back to the days before all of the fighting. I know why I married Henry. I wonder why he married me.