compelled to be a homebody as of late, clara was burrowed into the living room couch, inconspicuously examining a list of recommendations from her doctor that she’d jotted down during her last visit. her knees were pulled tightly to her chest, as if the sweater she was wearing wasn’t enough; she often cited the antarctic air conditioning as her excuse for dressing as if it was winter, but even so, the not-so-seasonal clothing wouldn’t cover things up for her much longer.
she was often left unbothered in one particular instance: if she had earphones in, most of her roommates knowing all too well that whatever music was coursing through the wires was at full blast and blocking out the rest of the world. when the next song in her ipod’s shuffle began, she froze. she recognized the opening instantly, radio ballet beginning to play loudly. it was like a flood then, snapshots of a life she once lived that felt instant and then never there at all. she yanked her earphones out, tossing them as far away as possible. not this. not today.
