When Everything Changes

The Story of Martha

Three words.

Glitter,
Ball gown,
Rain.

Those three words made up my evening.

"Is that blood or red glitter?" He inquired. I stood at his doorstep.

"I'm not really sure at this point." I stared down at it as it gleamed across my right abdomen. "I haven't seen you in three years, ask something normal."

"What is normal anymore?" Now instead of my dress gleaming under the moonlight, it was his sky blue eyes.

I walked in, still staring into his eyes. I felt the cold hardwood beneath my bare and mud ridden feet.

"Don't bleed on my floor." His voice shook. I wasn't sure whether it was the chilly winter air or something else.

My eyes searched the house until it landed on the living room couch. I planted myself there. He left me for a while and came back with a handful of clothes. "Seriously, change, you smell like snails."

I bit my lip but noticed it was already bleeding. He stared at it, "Bathroom is down the hall." He wasted his breath. I knew this house from top to bottom. I lived here.

I walked into the bathroom and tears flew down my cheeks for the third time tonight. I didn't know why or how I ended up on his door step. I stared at myself in the mirror. My entire left law was bruised and my eyes were redshot, as if I was doing something illegal. Well, I was, but nothing like that. My lips stopped bleeding and instead pulsed, letting me know it could start again at any second.

I turned on the faucet and rubbed my face with the cold water. In retrospect I should've left my bruise alone but I rubbed hard at it, wishing it could wash away along with the dirt and blood that was whirling down the drain. Instead, it became even more purple and started  pulsing with my lips harmoniously.

I slipped out of the gown that had caught my attention so many moons ago and put on the T-Shirt that smelled like him, along with a pair of yoga pants that fit me so well you'd think it was mine. In fact, it was. I cried harder at the word Martha scribbled on the tag without a care in the world.

With tears still streaming down my cheeks, I left the bathroom. I wasn't surprised to see him standing there, in front of me. Without another word, he grabbed me. He knew exactly what I needed. It wasn't heartfelt words, or my favorite movie. It wasn't a warm bath, or ice cream. It was the touch from the person I loved most in the world.

"Promise you'll never do it again?" I sobbed into his warm shoulder and pulled it as close as I could possibly.

"Oh, darling." He responded, stroking my hair. "Of course I will." He then stabbed me in the back, straight into my heart.