Member-only story
Part One: Cancer
NOTE: I started this bit of writing more than five years ago and just kind of left it in drafts. I’ve worked at it on occasion, and it’s still in progress. Here’s where it’s at today: this is part one.
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A cigarette hung from his lip, like it would fall from his mouth while he talked. She looked over at it and tried listening to him while she drove, but kept waiting for the flaming stick to drop to the floorboard.
“Did you get the tires taken care of?” he asked her, without looking in her direction.
“Not yet. I didn’t really have time today,” she said, snapping her eyes back on the road, away from watching him and his cigarette. “Liz called and we caught up on some stuff. She’s visiting here in a few weeks.”
She paused, anticipating his reaction. She wasn’t always sure how that bit of news might land. He didn’t hate her sister, but wasn’t ever thrilled about company.
“Can we get that air mattress we were talking about?” she asked.
He grunted in reply and pulled on the cigarette. His skin was grimy from the day’s work, and he wanted a shower as soon as they got home. She had picked him up from a jobsite and they were driving on the interstate towards their two bedroom rental outside of town.
