A flashquake Honorable Mention for Fiction goes to:

Bowling Night
by Stephanie Slawek

Elaine was jolted from her reverie by the whir of the garage door opening. She heard John's tired Buick grumble as it eased into its parking space. The car door slammed. She glanced down at her hands. They lay limply in her lap. As the hall door opened, they jumped to life. She resumed knitting.

John appeared in the doorway. He shrugged off his wet jacket and flung it onto the coat rack. "The roads are slippery tonight. I passed two accidents on the way home."

Elaine glanced up briefly, then returned her focus to the click-click-click of the knitting needles. "Take your shoes off so you don't get the floors muddy," she said to the sweater she was crafting. John removed his loafers and tossed them in the closet. He retreated to the kitchen. She looked up. "Where have you been?" He called over the door of the refrigerator, "You know Tuesday night is bowling night." She yanked some more yarn from the skein. "Oh. Right."

John emerged from the kitchen, swigging from a sweaty beer bottle. Elaine frowned as she unraveled a row of bad stitches. "I'm going to take a shower before I eat," he said. He turned toward the bedroom.

When he opened the bedroom door, Elaine put the knitting down. She stood up and wiped her hands on her slacks. Her feet made barely a sound as she padded across the living room.

She reached the doorway to find John standing over the bed. A black leather bag sat on the beige patterned bedspread. Inside was John's shiny red bowling ball. He turned and looked at her. She met his gaze.

"You forgot something," she said.

© 2001 by Stephanie Slawek

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