From the outside, the whole house was dark.
It looked vacant. Unlived in.
From the inside, memories of a lost love, a lost marriage, a lost cause, shone through brightly to anyone who entered the house.
The feeling in the house was thick. It felt as if you were suffocating, as if you had no where to go and no other options.
But, this is her home.
It's where she didn't eat, and it's where she didn't sleep.
It's where she sat in his chair. The one beside the window.
The window that overlooked the street, so if he came home, she could see him.
So she could run and jump in his arms and say she loved him and beg him never to leave her again.
She might as well have been facing a brick wall, because he never came.
Everyday she dialed his number.
Everyday she hung up after the first ring.
But today was not everday.
Today was different.
The second ring passes.
Then, the third.
Oh, God. Is he going to pick up?
The fourth ring passes.
No, voicemail.
Her voice cracks, "Don't hang up. Please, listen. I...I've been waiting. I've been waiting for you. I thought you would be back by now. It's been two weeks. I've been here waiting for you for two weeks, Derek, where are you? I can't do this! I can't. I can't do this without you. I know I've made mistakes, but you are the better half of me. Wherever you are, you're in the wrong place, Derek! I need you here with me. Please, come home. Just come home. I've been waiting too long. Just...come. home."
Her arm fell limp and without turning it off, the phone dropped to the floor beside her.
She tipped her head back and cried.
She cried harder in this one moment than she ever cried in her entire life.
And she hoped he heard it.