Wordle by Wordle: Day 19
Friday, Jan 19, 2024
Wordle #944 - THING
It’s late. As I brush my teeth, I push any thoughts of Roy’s case to the back burner, just for tonight. I do my skincare routine. I shed everything but my underwear and a tank top. I take my pills.
When I’m ready to crawl into bed, my laptop is there, pinning down the comforter. I could check Roy’s Twitter. It would only take a moment… Picking up the laptop and sliding it under the bed feels like moving a boulder, but I do it.
An hour goes by. I can’t fall asleep. Details of the case keep bubbling to the surface, boiling away any other thoughts. I sweat and roll around more than a gas station hot dog. So much so that even Chicken and Waffles give up on snuggling with me.
If Roy really did just run off on Bree, I wouldn’t be losing any sleep. I’d track him down—during business hours—show my client the receipts and move on, just like any other case. But if he’s—
No, I won’t allow myself to think it. Not yet.
Roy and I don’t talk much anymore. Not since he married Bree. A birthday text here, a holiday greeting there. We’re amicable to each other when we’re forced into the same room at one of Bree’s parties. Friendly, even, which sometimes feels worse somehow.
But during the time between “us” and “them,” Roy was still like a partner to me in many ways. Dependable, kind, sympathetic. If there’s one thing I know about Roy, it’s that he won’t ignore me when I need him.
I pull out my phone and its light floods the bedroom. I text Roy:
Please tell me you’re alright.
He doesn’t respond.
Notes:
My apologies for the late upload. Thanks, chronic migraines! If the next installment is shorter than usual, that’s also why.
Need to catch up? Visit the Wordle by Wordle archive to read the story so far.