ANTOINE EVANS - THE TINY ROOM

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Antoine Evans is a Youth Pastor in Rochester NY. He has a wife and 2 kids. He has obtained a BA in Christian Ministry with a Minor in Church Ministry - a MA in Christian Apologetics and a MA in Child and Adult Development. He loves to write and inspire others with the words that he places on papers. He has published a book that is currently on Amazon. He looks to publish more books and stories in order to share his passion with everyone around him! 

                                               

                                                THE TINY ROOM


​            The world outside the tiny window of the tiny one room apartment, seemed to become tinier the more that Jack looked out it. It didn’t help that it was raining. The drops streamed down the pane of glass, each, racing to the bottom, like horses on a track. The clouds loomed overhead, dark and heavy, but not as heavy as the atmosphere inside the tiny one room apartment. Jack glanced over at a clock that hung on the wall by the door that led to a dingy hallway worn down by time. The clock read 6:08pm.
What are the chances. Rain, yet again, Jack thought to himself, as he looked back out the window.
“You know, the view isn’t going to change,” his wife Jill grumbled under her breath while she sat on a couch in the corner of the room.
“Excuse me?” Jack replied, as he turned around and glared at her.
“I said – I hate your guts and wish that you would die!”
“Trust me, the feeling is quite mutual.” Jack turned back to the window. He didn’t mean it, sometimes he said things just to make her mad, but he truly loved her.
            His mind began to drift back outside. He stood there for some time, becoming lost in his thoughts. Everything seemed dead. The only sign of life came from an occasional vehicle passing by or Mrs. Newman’s’ cat trying to snag an un-expecting bird. Besides that, this virus had closed everyone inside. This is something that only existed in movies, yet now, it was reality. Jack glanced over at his wife, who was still on the couch watching television. Visions of their life before all of this flooded over his mind. Sure, they had their share of problems like any married couple – finances, in-laws, where to go for dinner – but nothing like this. From the moment the quarantine started, things had gone downhill. Both, now out of work, had to learn how to interact with one another all day, every day.
            Jack sighed and turned away from the window as he coughed a couple times and checked the clock once again, 6:21. He leaned on the table, the surface smooth under his palms. “What are we doing here, Jill?”
            “What do you mean?” she snapped. “Are you an idiot? We can’t go anywhere.”
            “I don’t mean physically. I mean us. I thought that we had it all. I thought that you were happy.”
            “Oh yeah. We’re just living like the Rockefellers. It feels more like a prison. I’ve realized how much of life I am missing. I thought that this is what I wanted…that you were who I needed.” She looked at him in disgust. “But that’s all changed”
Jack walked over to the couch and stretched his achy muscles before he sat down beside Jill. He starred at the picture that flashed across the screen of the television, Criminals in Action, her favorite show. He looked over at her. “This has been difficult for everyone.”
Jill nodded in agreement. “It has, but it has brought clarity to my life. I’ve settled and I refuse to settle anymore. This COVID has allowed me to press reset.” She looked at him and got up off the couch. “I need more Jack. More than you can offer. All you do every day is stare out the damn window expecting the world to just go back to normal. Things aren’t going to be normal again Jack. Life is different. We are different. Grow up and accept that.”
“I don’t know. Maybe you are right, but there has to be something that I can do. I mean, from the moment that I laid my eyes on you, I knew that I could not give you the things that you needed, but I figured that I would give it a shot. There’s always a chance.”
Jill sat down at the table and wiped her nose with a tissue as she peeked over at the time. 6:39. Another day almost gone. Sleep. Then the same thing all over again. She picked up her coffee cup and ran her fingers over an engraving on the side that said, for those times I can’t say I love you, have some coffee. This was her first anniversary gift from Jack. The indent was somewhat rough to the touch, and there was a tiny chip along the rim, but besides that, the cup was still in good condition. Jill touched the chipped rim, feeling the course ceramic that lied beneath the smooth porcelain shell. She lifted the cup to her lips and sipped her now cold caffeinated brew. It had somehow lost its taste. Like this marriage. She sat for a moment, trying to decide her next move. It had been weeks since she made up her mind, yet here they sat, together, in this tiny one room apartment. She needed out.
“I’m bored,” she sighed. “I mean, it’s nothing against you, I just need things to go my way, but they aren’t,”
Jill made her way back to the couch and sat down without saying a word. The air was thick and somewhat quiet, except for the ticking of the clock and the sound of rain beating against the window.
Time passed by unnoticed until Jacks voice cut through the silence. “Did you hear that?” He jumped up and dashed toward the window. “Right on time as usual – 7:07. Thomas is getting another delivery.”
Jill took a deep breath and watched as her husband stood, starring at the dark and gloomy world outside the tiny window of the tiny one room apartment. If he knew how much I hated and despised him, then he wouldn’t be so damn happy anymore, she thought as she grinned. Today can be the day. No one would know if he was gone, besides, he has corona anyways.
END