UGH

i don't know why this didn't post last night from my computer !!!!



“Thank you sir,” the woman at the door slurred. Her brittle hair blew back just slightly a she stepped outside her apartment door to receive the letter. He grabbed the envelope out of the bike messenger’s hand, her yellow nails shining against the starch white mail.
“No problem ma’am. You have a nice day now,” the messenger replied over his shoulders as he hopped down the icy steps to his shiny new bike he had probably gotten for Christmas that waited patiently on the curb.
The woman slowly closed the door behind her and walked back to her kitchen table. It was not a long walk because the apartment wasn’t much. But as soon as Bill returned, he promised to buy a new place. She walked back into the room to the shriek of a newborn baby over her favorite morning program, Good Morning America. She picked up the small child, burped him, and placed him gently back in his highchair. The mother finally sat at her table an looked at he envelope. It was addressed to her, Elaine Johnson. In one corner was an American flag stamp and in he other was the return address. Just looking at it made the butterflies in her stomach come back, just like they do every time she got a letter from him. The address was her husband’s army base in Iraq. He has been over there fighting for the past six months and this was her third letter since his departure. Unable to contain her excitement any longer, she tore open the envelope and began to read.
Dear Mrs. Johnson,
Mrs. Johnson, on behalf of the United States Army, I regret to inform you that your husband has died in a terrible accident. On December 29th…
Elaine’s eyes continued to dart around the paper, but it was all a blur. She started to shake, her eyes watered and she lost grip f the paper. She watched as it spiraled and swayed, out f control, all the way to the blue linoleum tile, just like her life soon would.


After Bill’s funeral, Elaine felt worthless and used. Not a day went by where she didn’t ask God, why? Why did you take him and not me? She lost all appetite, and eventually just stopped eating. She felt her lack of beauty was the reason for Bill’s death. She spent her days curled up in bed and her nights bent over the toilet seat.