Mars appeared and she smiled. She hadn’t smiled like that in a long time; it was a genuine expression full of love and reverence for the man. She had not stopped loving him this whole time, but her spirit had been too broken to craft anything more than false pleasantries for several weeks. Today, the force behind the smile was gone, and the happiness touched even those amber eyes that gazed at his piebald countenance that loomed down the hallway.
“I thought you were up late, I didn’t want to wake you,” she explained, turning towards him but still standing in the morning light that poured in through the open door. “I was going to make a stop by the costume shop and then go over to the amphitheater. I can wait a few.” She moved out of the doorway but left the door open to let the cool, crisp morning air meander in and freshen up the stuffy house. She returned the books to the table then turned to him with a disapproving look that was still full of amusement.
“What have I told you about this?” She said as she stepped up in front of him and pinched the end of his cigarette. She knew if she licked her fingers and did it fast enough it would barely hurt the pads of her fingers, and that’s exactly how she performed the trick now as she squeezed the cherry out of existence. One quick shake of her hand after and the sting was gone. “No smoking in the house when Svet is here.” She scolded, wagging her finger teasingly, her old vibrant grin flashing pearly white teeth.
“Well, hurry up!” She slapped him on the butt to move him along. “I could be halfway to the shop right now. I don’t have any time to waste, and we’ve still gotta tell Paz that we’ve volun-told her to watch Svetlana today.” With a wink and a kiss she turned back around and started shuffling the books as though organizing them into a particular order. “In fact, I’ll go do it while you get ready.” And then she disappeared out of the house, leaving the books of costuming, aerial acrobatics, and a few playbooks on the table.
A few minutes later her voice preceded her into the front room. “Okay! Paz is going to be over in a minute to watch her,” she popped her head inside. “You ready yet? Be a gent and grab those for me, will you?” She waved a flippant hand at the books and then was gone, prancing across the porch and out into the yard with the pink cloak billowing behind her, Orin soon turned down the path about to leave Mars in the dust if he didn’t get his hustle on.
Photo courtesy of Alaskan Dude
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