Fiction means lies
For Frala
Possible
Someone's hand, soft skin, smelling of hand cream and
shower gel waves a cup of coffee under her nose.
"Nectar of the gods". Cassie doesn't laugh,
Hayley thinks, she trills. And the birds outside are singing back. It's all
obnoxious and rather perfect.
Neither of them talks over the paper, Hayley
acquiesces the sports section with fake bad grace. She peeks over the edge of
the paper at the frown between Cassie's eyebrows. It is probably the last
weekend they can sit out here for breakfast unless they are prepared to do it
in parkas.
"I'll barbeque in the snow but not
breakfast." Hayley blurts out and laughs and shakes her head at Cassie's
questioning eyebrow.
Fantasy
They are bumping elbows both trying to get at the
mirror stopping every ten seconds to wipe steam off the mirror. Cassie's hair
is too long and she is leaving long strands over the counter.
"You'll clean that won't you?" Hayley asks
and rolls her eyes when Cassie doesn't confirm or deny her next action just
"hmmms" in a thoughtful manner.
Hayley's hair is shorter the brushing is quicker, but
she's terrible at putting make-up on. She barely has her foundation on and
Cassie is doing all sorts of expert things with mascara. Cassie takes the tube
out of her fumbling fingers and paints her cursing mouth pale, soft pink.
Hayley cleans the countertop quickly before they both
leave. As a thank you.
Actual
By the time Hayley has stumbled downstairs, promising
for at least the ten thousandth time to fix the damn carpet on the third step
from the bottom the coffee is on.
Cassie is flicking through the paper leaning against
the counter.
Her posture, her bright red nails tapping the tiles scream,
"back off." Hayley skulks to the verandah with the dog. She can taste
rain on the air.
Cassie's sigh from behind her lifts the hair on the
back of her neck and with one quick squeeze of Hayley's wrist she is gone.
They rain has come by the time the dog comes back from
digging and the coffee is ruined.
"The burner is too hot" Hayley says for the
thousandth time and drinks it anyway. Every gritty mouthful.
Almost
Sometimes Hayley just lies in bed until the front door
closes. Cassie would have put the dog out and left a clean mug by the machine
and rinsed hers and left it in the dishwasher.
A bright red smile across the top of the cup that
won't wash off for two cycles.
