Succulents on the Window Sill

Chapter 27

There was a spider on the bathroom mirror. A black blur in Corinne's watery vision. Her eyes couldn't tear themselves away from it.

She had parked herself on the closed toilet seat as soon as she had entered the bathroom, and it was there she still sat. She didn't know how much time had passed, and she didn't care.

Her heart was numb, eyes cried dry until every blink felt like the Sahara.

Although eyes were distant, unfocused, Corinne could see the spider moving.

The mirror was covered in fingerprints, in water and soap splashes, in a scum caused by a cleaning product not made for mirrors. It gave the bathroom the same vibe as the public ones that Corinne had her first cigarettes in. The scent of disinfectant so strong that it made your eyes burn, broken toilet seats, broken mirrors, phone numbers on the back of doors to call for a good time. She would have smirked at the comparison had she the energy to.

The spider crawled over the dirt with ease, settling in the top right corner. It was such a simple life to lead, hanging around on bathroom mirrors spinning pretty webs. A life dedicated to basic survival and intricate art. It sounded like heaven compared to Corinne's own.

There was a crumpled square of toilet tissue in her hand, soaked, tore from tears. Squeezing it into a ball, Corinne finally turned from the spider to toss it to the bin. She ripped off another wad to clutch in her palm. It was comforting to hold. Cheap toilet roll that scratched your butt, your sensitive swollen eyes, it was the only comfort she had.

Now that her tears had eased off, her sobs gone silent, Corinne could hear the voices outside the door. The day was continuing without her. Bakers were baking, customers were being served. She closed her eyes, focusing on the black darkness it brought.

The voices were rising. Loud. Angry. She blocked them out, letting the song stuck in her head play. When she wasn't thinking over how miserable she felt today, or sat numb and empty, Corinne let the song fill her head. The desertion of her usual self scared her, she couldn't bear to leave her mind so free for too long.

The voices were growing, before everything suddenly went dead. There was a gasp, a clatter of metal like that of pots and pans falling, before the silence returned. Sara had probably tripped over or something.

Corinne's eyes slid back to her new best friend; the spider. He was a cute little guy, crawling around and minding his own business, living his carefree little life. As much as Corinne envied him, she was happy for him too. It was nice to see that some could have it so easy.

He felt like her only friend right now, and she was more than happy staying here all day with him. She had made the decision to ask Michael if she could leave early and go home though. She needed to get out of here, and back to a place where she could cry without being such an inconvenience to everyone else. When stuck in the bathroom, no one else could use it. As selfish as Corinne now knew herself to be, she didn't want to be that bad.

There was another shout, and Corinne clutched the squares of toilet roll close. Curiosity was beginning to get the better of her. Just as she carefully rose from the closed toilet seat, ready to step towards the door to listen a little better, there was a loud heavy knock on the bathroom door.

"Corinne. Open the door." Zach. She knew that voice, of course she did. What was he doing here though? Why couldn't he answer her calls or texts, but find the time to turn up here instead?

"I'm not asking."  No, with the firm demanding tone of his voice, it was clear that it was an order.

It was a tone Corinne wasn't used to hearing too often, and she found her fingers quickly fumbling with the lock before her brain could catch up with her body. As soon as it was undone, the door pushed open. Corinne had to jump aside to avoid being knocked over by it.