The Disappearing Act [Fiction]

He thinks I'm joking when I say, 'one day, I’ll disappear’. I lay my head on my steering wheel in front of Besties, a cosy motel surrounded by nature that I've wanted to visit for a long time but have no reason to. Until now.

I groan, shaking my head from side to side. From my teenage years, I'd looked forward to starting my home because I love kids. Martins was incredibly sweet to me, and he loved me and we thought, ‘what the heck. Let's do this!’

After graduation, we got married and now we have four kids. I don't know how it happened. I mean, I know but time flew by so fast that I'm left befuddled, wondering how my husband and I got here.

They are the sweetest, my kids. Just like their dad but exhausting. Being an only child, I wasn't prepared for responsibilities and chaos. It's like being stuck in a never-ending hallway. It's so endless that I keep running, searching, hoping a door will appear from afar. A door to a life where all these responsibilities are taken care of and I can laze on a beach in my bikini.

There's always something to do every minute of every day. The only time I have left to myself is when my children are all tucked in bed and snoring softly. I brew myself a cup of Twinings' rooibos tea flavoured with cranberry and pomegranate. My favourite.

Then I'm savouring every sip when Martins creeps up behind me and breathes down my neck. And there goes my me-time. When it becomes a routine, I hide and he gives up eventually, grumbles about how ‘mean’ I am and goes to bed.

Where's the end to this never-ending hallway?

Oh, I know! I threaten to disappear and Martins guffaws, his head thrown back before he kisses me on the forehead and leaves for work.

I send Estella, my dear cousin who lives close by and works from home, a text message to please help out with the kids when they return from school. She says okay. She's done it before and knows where the key to the front door is hidden.

I grab my handbag, throw in a few toiletries, a set of clean clothes and undies and drive to Besties. It's Friday. I pay for two nights and walk back into the car to grab my bag. Now, I'm wondering if this isn't a mistake. Will the receptionist give me a refund?

I shake my head and groan again. I must be brave and go through with my plan because I deserve this. So I get out of the car and walk into my cosy room, smiling. I call the kitchen and order a delicious meal. After a warm bath, I see it's getting dark outside. I check my phone and see lots of missed calls. Then Martins’ voicemail—

Babe, where are you? I thought you were joking this morning (Mummy! Is that mum? Dad, are you talking to mum? I wanna talk to her too.) Shh, be quiet…Babes, please we need you. Come home and I promise we'll have a vacation, you and I, next weekend. Call me.

I snuggle deeper into my duvet, happily munching on strawberries coated with chocolate. I'll give them a call tomorrow.

Today is mine.

I hope you enjoyed reading this five-minute short story and not judging me too harshly. It's fiction but also relatable. Everyone deserves a break at some point! Hehe. This story is inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt word “never ending hallway”.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

^{Image credit: Roegger}