Ask Again, Yes

by Mary Beth Keane

He knew it didn’t quite have anything to do with him, but some days, often when he least expected it, he removed his sympathy from her and took it back to wrap around himself.

he felt the heavy cloak of worry he’d been wearing grow lighter, until it was as if he’d simply shrugged it off his shoulders and let it fall to the ground. Little by little, he felt the shiver of a new idea forming, a new space opening up wide enough for him to stand in.

he could sense the loneliness rising up from her skin and filling the space around her.