Monday, October 10, 2011 | By: Crystal

What Are You Looking For?

Marge sat at the small round table facing the sunrise, swirling her coffee. Roger sat beside her every morning, using the bright light peeking through the trees to finish his crossword puzzle. It took an enormous amount of self control to only complete half of a puzzle every night. Marge would always ask, "Why can't we finish the puzzle now?" He would always reply, "If I finish it now I won't have anything to do in the morning when you insist that we get up at that ungodly hour. Let's call it motivation." Those daily puzzles reminded her of their younger days every time her and Roger sat on the sofa to start one together.
This morning Roger noticed an almost sad, thoughtless look on Marge's face.
"Margey, Baby Doll? What are you looking for?"
"Hmm?. . . I don't know. Nothing? I have already found it." Marge softly responded as she finished her last taste of coffee and exhaled a cloud created by the hot coffee and the cold morning air.
Autumn is more than obvious now; it is parading through streets, store fronts, and kitchens. Red, yellow, and orange are covering this town like a three year old running down the hallway dragging one end of an endless roll of toilet paper.
"I wish it were autumn all year," announced Marge as she turned back into the house.
"You always say that," Roger reminded her while quickly following behind.
After her shower, Marge packed some homemade apple pies to take out to the car to take to the volunteer fire station. Roger scurried to the door before she could reach the knob.
"Baby Doll, allow me?" Roger interrupted. Even after 36 years together he still wouldn't let her walk to the car alone. Roger's father had taught him. "Be careful, people will remember you by the way you treat your girl, and don't worry, someone will always be watching," Roger recalled the gentle and beautiful raspy voice of his father saying. Marge looked up at Roger with an aged smile. She didn't have to thank him. She had been thanking him their whole life, it was implied by now.
The ride to town seemed short; she didn't seem to notice time. If you were to ask she wouldn't remember anything she saw on the way. Apparently, she was still suffering from a bit of residual absent-mindedness.
After unloading the pies and beginning to walk down the sidewalk she saw Sarah. Sarah was pulling back her thin straight hair into a pony tail before continuing to walk toward her car that was parked in front of the small flower shop.
"Sarah, could I borrow you for a minute? I wanted to have some pies at the fire station before lunch time, and I think I need a little help carrying them. It would be a devastating waste if I were to drop them."
"Absolutely. I was hoping to catch up with you this weekend anyway. And now I don't have to call you." Sarah took a couple of boxes off the top of the stack. After delivering the pies Sarah followed Marge back home.