She wakes up at seven every morning, sliding her finger across the screen of her phone to disable the alarm clock. Sometimes she jumps right out of bed, but more often, she lies there, blinking sleep away from her eyes, trying to decide if her husband's ability to sleep in no matter what is somehow rubbing off on her.
There's almost always cold-brewed coffee in the refrigerator, and over the past three weeks of temping, she's scrambled to get ready--to hard-boil eggs for breakfasts, to whip up a lunch out of leftovers from the night before, to pack two little bags and get made up and curl her hair and decide what to wear, wishing she had laid out a dress and heels the night before; all while missing the quiet mornings of the past months at home, answering emails and G-chatting with her friend Jenna.
When she looks in the mirror she sees in her reflection someone she wholeheartedly loves and enjoys being, but someone she didn't know she would be. Twenty-five years old, freckles still sprawled across her face, still only standing at 5'4"--but, to the relief of her 15-year-old self, in a B cup--and married to the sweetest man, living far from home in Minneapolis, mostly self-employed. Unable to pass up a temporary job because she's terrified of missing an opportunity. Still afraid of most things, but getting braver every day. Thoughtful, sometimes intense, and always trying to be kind. Proud companion to some of the best friends around, thankful for her family, and just really happy to be living this life of hers.
This post is in response to the following prompt: "In the same way a painter does a portrait of a person, do a portrait in words...Do a self-portrait in the third person." (From Old Friend from Far Away, page 214.) If you write a response of your own, please share a link below in the comments! For previous posts and next week's prompt, visit this post.
Photo by V.A. Photography.
