“Getting Out of the Cold”

* This was a piece inspired by one of the prompts on Inspiration Monday over at the blog Be Kind Rewrite.  Pop over and get inspired to write something.*

It was a cold day.  She was glad she had thrown on a sweater before rushing out of the house.  It was the last thing she grabbed before slamming the door behind her.  She kept walking and rapidly her legs took her to her favorite spot.  She liked the park this time of year.  There was no one around.  It was beautiful with the wide array of brightly colored leaves all on the ground.

She sat on a swing and began lightly rocking herself back and forth.  Her tears began to fall.  She dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater, hoping to stop the inevitable flow.  How did she wind up in this mess?  She tried so hard and wanted so little out of life.  The more she thought, the harder her tears flowed.  She just wanted something to be simple in life.

She thought of the close family and friends she knew.  Most of them all had lives riddled with relationship disasters.  There were divorces, deaths of spouses, and anybody left together was miserable.  Most of the women she knew were in abusive relationships.  Why was love this hard?  Her fingers gently pressed her cheek.  It was still a little sore.  She knew later he would apologize, but how long would it last this time?

“I can’t stand the cold any longer”, she suddenly said aloud.  She jumped up from the swing and walked towards her car.  It wasn’t just a need for physical warmth, but it was a need for the emotional warmth from another person she craved.  She just wanted someone to be nice.  A little kindness could go a long way.  It was something she hadn’t had for quite some time.

She didn’t know where she would go or what it would take, but she knew things couldn’t continue to be the same.  She was tired of the cold.  She didn’t want the warmth in her heart to turn as cold as the day.  She needed and deserved love.  She lightly rubbed her belly.  It wasn’t just herself she needed to make life better for anymore.

Swinging (Photo credit: clvrmnky)