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My husband sat across fro the Denver oh his email on his phone with his thumb Two slices of bacon crisped to perfection sat on a side plate, along with a piece of wheat bread, toasted to a light brown, one pat of butter right in the center One glass of orange juice, one glass of water His cup of coffee was in a to-go insulatedI’d warmed the cream in a water bath to make it the correct temperature so it didn’t cool down the coffee—not microwaved Jeff hated the taste of coffee with microwaved cream

It all had to be done just so

I’d taken extra care thisthat perfection didn’t always mean safety

If Jeff got an e on the news that annoyed him… Well, there were a thousand variables I couldn’t control

A sick part of me sat in anticipation for his mood to turn For that twitch in his eyes, the flare of his nostrils thatwould turn on a dime to chaos and violence

Jeff looked up at ?”

Crap I smiled, careful to keepabout the day, darling I need to take the dry-cleaning in today I look forward to getting some sunshine The rain’s supposed to clear up later”

He frowned before glancing down at his phone “No”

I blinked and sed, rip on s All I was allowed for breakfast “Oh? Would you prefer I went tomorrow?”

“I don’t wantall over town in a rainstorm, is that too much to ask? It’s supposed to rain all week”

I de in oing to be a break in the weather this afternoon Or that a little rain had never hurt anyone

Jeff shoveled the rest of his breakfast in hishis half-finished toast Then he glared down at me “You haven’t taken your pills”

“Oh Forgive me”

I grabbed the handful of pills fro Five pills Three were anti-depressants One was an anti-psychotic The last was a tranquilizer

I tossed them in my mouth, then took a sater

“Open,” Jeff demanded