The Staring Match
Jake's mouth fell open at her audacity. "I'll do as I damned well please!" He threw the bottle of beer at her. She ducked, turning to her frightened children.
"Come on kids, let's go." She took their hands and led them to the door.
"Where the hell do you think you are going?"
"I'm leaving."
"Like hell you are!"
She stared at him as she held the hands of her children. Each breath, each heartbeat seemed an eternity.
His eyes were blue. She had never seen the color of his eyes before and that was when she realized this was the first time, the only time she had ever looked.
The kids squirmed; she did not move.
They whined, yet she did not lose her grip. Her eyes were locked in combat as they flashed in quiet defiance. A lifetime of looking down and giving in surrounded her - echoing screeching clawing at her stop stop stop!
Her nostrils flared. For once, this once - she would not look down. She would not lose.
She would not be afraid.
She was terrified.
He whirled and punched the wall, leaving a gaping hole in his wake. "Ha! You won't last ten minutes out on your own!"
************
The road stretched before her, tires chanting freedom, freedom. The kids dozed in the back seat.
One hour and counting.
The future lay open before her. She would never look down again.
Published by Annie Jean Brewer
Annie Brewer learned how to combine minimalism with frugality to live the life of her dreams. A single mother, she is a computer professional who works from home and primarily supports her family through wri... View profile
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6 Comments
Post a CommentYou know, this kind of hits home for me. Do you know how many "holes" my ex punched in our wall? chilling...
great writing
Good work!
Scary :)
...and good for her too.
This rocks! You might consider looking at flashfiction.com