Monthly Drawing 18: Re-kindling the Flame Aftermath(?)?

Maggie Wu turned off the car and sat quietly as the garage door closed. She was tired of traveling but, she wasn’t certain she wanted to be home either. She still loved Louis. He was still kind and funny but, she hardly saw him enough to be reminded that he was. 

She was also finding that he was not a attractive to her as he once was. He was paler, skinnier and balder than the man she’d married. More often than not, she’d recently found her eye drawn towards zaftig women. Or, her private fantasies…

“Enough” she whispered to herself. Taking a deep breath, she opened the car door and headed to the kitchen door. Her suitcases could wait until morning. When she opened the door the first thing she noticed was that it was dark in the house. 

Then she noticed the candles. 

Two rows of scented candles (juniper, her favorite) created a pathway from the kitchen. 

“Louis?” She called out.

“Upstairs!” came the answer. His voice was muffled and sounded oddly high-pitched through the floor. 

Maggie didn’t know what to think. Her mind raced as she followed the flickering path. Was he being romantic? It both thrilled her and saddened her. On the one hand, this was sweet and maybe he’d noticed that he wasn’t as available to her as he should be. And this effort! It was more than he’d done even when he’d been romantic in the past. But, she also knew that she wasn’t attracted to him as she once was. What would happen when she opened the bedroom door and saw him, expectant? Could she go through with it? If she couldn’t, it would break his heart. 

She reached the door. It was almost completely closed. She could see the glow of more candles through the crack. She told herself she still loved him and she would try. She took another deep breath and pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

“Louis, I-“ she stopped, stunned.

“Hello, Maggie” The figure on her bed said in a breathy contralto, “Welcome home”

Faster than either of them would have imagined, Maggie came to terms with what was before her eyes

“Oh, my” she said as a small smile formed.