Emancipation

fifty one

I can barely keep my eyes open as I stumble out of the apartment, a cosy oversized cardigan around me as I try to keep up with my feet. I'm barely holding myself together because of the sleepy state I'm in as I watch James step out of the door with bags in his hands. After he's done locking, his eyes land on me while I try to stand with my weight against the wall.

His face reflects immediate amusement, "Good morning to you too."

"Not a word," I warn him, making him chuckle as we get into the elevator.

When we are in the car, I reach into the backseat for my handbag that he kept. I didn't carry anything; I think it's a miracle I could make my way to car without falling face-first. I look for my eye mask and put it on with him mocking me with his raised eyebrows.

"Weren't you supposed to drive?" He asks, obviously getting a kick out of teasing me.

"You're very annoying sometimes, you know that?" I offer, realising how that's something I wouldn't even have joked about three months ago, but my nerves have resolved around James. He still does intimidate me at times, but it has taken me time to realise that we're both equals in this relationship so I have learned to relax in his presence and be myself.

I know he thrives on it as well, seeing as how he laughs out loud, shaking his head at me before leaning forward to give me a peck.

"Go to sleep, I'll wake you up once we're there."

I didn't even take a bath or brush my teeth. James tried to wake me up for fifteen minutes but after that he gave up, aware that it was a lost cause. He freshened up and packed the rest of our stuff that was left for morning. I could still feel his movements in the room somewhere at the back of my head while I slept. He told me to get up and move out after he made his first trip to keep the bags in the car. So, I grabbed the first thing my eyes caught which was this cardigan to keep me comfortable for the ride. I adjust the seat a little and bring up my knees as I put my eye mask on.

"Night." I mumble before dozing off.

James didn't start packing until midnight because once we got back home, I kept him incredibly busy. It's also one of the reasons I feel so exhausted right now, but I have absolutely no regrets. We had a few days of making up to do after my periods ended, and I'm sure he would agree.

He had to drag himself out of bed to pack because I suggested to keep it off until the morning, offering that I would help but now I'm glad he went against my whiny protests and packed the bags last night itself.

After what seems like an hour, my alarm goes off and I groan in response, reaching for my phone in the middle console. My hand meets James's and I remove the eye mask, the morning light making it hard for me to see anything with squinted eyes.

"I was just going to switch it off, what's it for?" He asks as I pick up my phone to switch off the annoying buzz.

"Pill reminder." I mumble as I pick my hand bag from the backseat, feeling a little disoriented. I pull out the pill pack and take the water bottle from console before swallowing it.

When my eyes have adjusted to the light, I turn to my husband to find him focused on the road. It's eight in the morning and we left around six thirty, recalling that James tried to wake me up an hour before that. He seems to be lost in his thoughts, his eyebrows a little frowned, making me wonder what's on his mind.

"How much time till we reach?" I ask, trying to wake up completely from my slumber as I pop in a mint in my mouth.

"An hour, I guess."

I nod, my eyes still fixed on him because he looks distracted. I know tomorrow is a hard day for him, which is why I was surprised when he asked me to come along. When James is upset, he usually always wants his space but I believe I would've gone a little crazy to spend four days without him, knowing that he's not okay. The most he has been away is for a weekend when he went to Texas to finalise his deal and the site for a new plant that company is planning to set up.