Table for Four #1

With shock and sadness there’s bravery and curiosity in equal measure behind every knock on her door. Kindness disguising awkwardness. Floral barriers masking discomfort. Over wrought messages in perfect script.

They ask how she is, wondering if it’s their shoulder she’ll cry on. They feel for minutes what consumes her relentlessly. They say she’s in denial; as if it’s a choice not a chemical reaction. All her thoughts are distilled into devastation, and submerged in overwhelm.

They can retreat, forget and carry on as normal. Whilst she exists, alongside her grief, sometimes remembering to set the table for only three.