Rootless

by Krystle Zara Appiah

Marriage is like a groundnut. You have to crack it to see what is inside. —Ghanaian proverb

For weeks she’s felt cut loose from the world, without the strength or desire to tug herself back to the ground. Now, just like that, one foot brushes against the earth.

But when your time comes, you’ll see that it’s also your job as a woman to be miserable so your child can be happy.”

They rest in a decision made, not yet knowing all the ways a decision alone will never be enough.

She hates that he can want someone he has never met more than he wants her, the person standing right beside him.

He stares out at it for a long time and wonders how long he’d been staring at part of a whole, seeing only what he’d wanted to see.