Soufflé au Gruyère

'See you soon,' you say and hang up.
Soon, I think. Smiling.
Rush in to the kitchen and open the fridge.
Butter, milk, eggs. And cheese.
Soufflé au Gruyère!
Simple, but challenging; you’ll appreciate the efforts.
Turn on oven. Measure ingredients; yellow isles of grated cheese; hills of dusty nutmeg.
While beating egg whites into stiff peaks and melting butter, I keep thinking: soon.
Pour the mixture into small white dishes and smooth the tops. Then I run into the bathroom.
I shampoo my hair. The doorbell shrieks.
Jump out onto the wet tiles. Thinking hell!
Then everything turns black.