Indifference

"Is this how things are going to be?"

She offered no quarters, barking her thoughts out loud. Outside the window laid the busy streets of Manhattan, even deep into the evening, were still bustling with heavy traffic, noises of horns and sirens reverberating throughout the great city of New York.

Yet within these four walls there was an eerie silence permeating, filling up every corner of the apartment.  

“………………………………………………………….”

He didn’t even looked into her eyes. Instead, with mechanical precision he shoved properly diced pieces of meat and salad down his throat, crunching and chewing them with great appetite. On the opposite bank of the divide, she was staring deep into her plate of Caesar Salad, her fork shovelling and uprooting the lettuce from beneath before covering the crumbs and breast meat with them.

 “I don’t like this,” she whispered softly yet confident that he could hear every single word. When mum was the response, she proceeded.

 “I can take anger, resentment, violence. Anytime, anywhere,” her eyes began to tear, voice slightly trembles. “But this…” she shook her head before burying it in her hands.

“………………………………………………………….”

Inhaling deeply, she ran her hand from her forehead, forcing her drooping hair backwards into a tidier arrangement, unveiling her reddish nose and bloodshot eyes. Her throat felt dry so she took a few sip of the chilled water, but choked as she tried to swallow too fast. Feeling her palms on the table for napkins, she finally managed to grab one before relieving herself.

Upon regaining her composure, she placed the glass where it was first placed. For a moment she thought she had never placed any napkins nearby when she was setting the table. Suspiciously she eyed him. Still eating with great appetite, he ignored her.

“So be it.”