Short story: All Change

Jackie was very preoccupied with shaking up their lives. But why..?

Come on, sleepy head!’ Jackie shook David gently. ‘Get up.’ ‘But it’s New Year’s Day,’ protested David. ‘I was looking forward to a lie-in.’

His wife put her hands on her hips. This was a sign that Jackie was on a mission.

‘We made a New Year’s Resolution only last night. You’re not breaking it already, are you?’

David didn’t have any idea what she was talking about. He’d had most of a bottle of wine the night before, and his head felt a little fuzzy. ‘Remind me,’ he said gently.

Jackie sighed. ‘We’re going to change everything, so we don’t end up like my boss and his wife.’

A vague memory drifted back, something about making 2019 different from 2018. ‘All right,’ he said wearily. ‘Give me a moment.’

When he got downstairs, Jackie had made porridge.

‘What happened to my bacon and eggs?’ he asked. ‘We always have a fry-up on New Year’s Day.’

‘I couldn’t face cooking today. Besides, everything has to change. We agreed.’

The porridge was nice, but he’d been looking forward to his cooked breakfast.

As soon as breakfast was over, Jackie pulled him into the living room.

‘Right. We’ll start here.’ ‘Start what?’ he queried. ‘Moving the furniture round, like we said.’

The room housed a bulky, three-piece suite, a heavy cabinet, two bookcases and a widescreen TV.

‘All of it?’ he asked, in the vain hope she’d say no.

‘Yes!’ replied Jackie briskly. ‘If we put the TV in the alcove, the sofa can go on the opposite wall.’

David was about to protest when she smiled. It was good to see her smile again; she’d been looking really pale lately. If moving furniture on New Year’s Day made her happy, that’s what he’d do.

‘OK, tell me where you want things and I’ll shift them,’ he said, rolling up his sleeves.

Soon, the room was utterly transformed. David collapsed onto the sofa for a rest.

Jackie chuckled. ‘You haven’t got time to sit down! It’s the dining room next.’

‘Remind me what this is all about?’ he asked as they took up the rug.

‘My boss was saying he thought his wife left because there were no surprises in their marriage – nothing to look forward to.’

David just couldn’t see the problem. ‘So?’

‘So, we’ve been married for four years already, but we hardly do anything different.’

‘But we’re happy, aren’t we?’ He tried to hug her, but she shrugged him off.

‘We are now, but we need to work at it, otherwise we’ll drift apart,’ she said. ‘Then you’ll leave, like my boss’s wife left him.’

He laughed. ‘Isn’t that a bit melodramatic? I’m not going to leave. I love you so much. Don’t you know that?’

‘Of course,’ said Jackie,

‘but I keep thinking about my boss. He thought he was happily married…’

David remembered a conversation from a few weeks back. ‘Didn’t you say she came back 10 days later?’ ‘Yes, but what if she hadn’t?’ Jackie looked so worried, his heart melted. It wouldn’t hurt to play along.

After moving the dining table, he realised he wouldn’t be able to look out on the bird-feeder while they ate. He’d miss that.

‘It was better the way it was,’ he said, reaching out to stroke her hair. ‘And, so long as we’re together, I wouldn’t mind if we did the same thing every day.’

It was the wrong thing to say. Jackie ran upstairs and shut herself in the bedroom.

David decided to leave her be until he figured out what was going on. The problem was, he really did like his life. OK, they weren’t rich – probably never would be – but they loved each other. Wasn’t that enough?

He sighed. If Jackie wanted change, change she would have. He set to work on the kitchen, and had just finished emptying the cupboards when Jackie came down.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, giving him a hug. ‘I don’t know why I got so upset. Forgive me?’

‘There’s nothing to forgive,’ he said. ‘What d’you think?’

She looked at his changes. ‘Well, I like where you’ve put the kettle, but having the toaster by the sink will make life difficult.’ She rested her head on his shoulder. ‘Thanks, darling. I don’t want us to ever feel like our marriage is in trouble. We just have to keep things exciting.’

David was off work for the next couple of days, so he was up first next morning. He took Jackie a coffee in bed.

‘Sorry, I can’t face coffee. Could I have tea?’ she said.

He was in the kitchen when she called down. ‘We need a couple of things from the supermarket. Would you mind going? I don’t feel up to it. I think I must’ve eaten something I shouldn’t have.’

It was at the exact moment when he heard her close the bathroom door that everything suddenly clicked into place – the tears, the pallor, the quietness, the sudden desire to move the furniture…

And, if his hunch was right, the New Year really would be different.

David chuckled happily. A baby? Now that was one exciting change he wouldn’t mind – not one little bit!

‘But we’re happy, aren’t we?’ He tried to hug her but she shrugged

him off

THE END Linda Lewis, 2018