Late Night

Lying on her side, she rubbed the side of her face against the satin pillow. She was snuggled beneath the thick covers, head and eyes leaden, rain beating against the window in surging waves of fierceness. She loved the sound of the rain.

She didn’t like being rained on, however. Would it still be raining tomorrow? Would the traffic be awful on the way to drop Ellie off at school? Would it make her late for work? Again. It might make her later than usual; she just couldn’t seem to get her butt into gear to get out the door on time. She needed to get up earlier; that’s what it was. If she could just get up earlier, the morning would be her oyster; she could get herself ready, have breakfast, and get their bags ready before even waking her daughter up. Then she could help her daughter get ready, and they’d be out the door super early, and it would be strange and lovely to be at her desk with time to spare. Maybe she could get that project off the ground that she’d been putting off? Or maybe she could take her notebook and make notes on that story that had been simmering away at the back of her mind for months? Ooo, or grab a drive-thru coffee on the way to work! Is there a coffee place en route to work? Doesn’t matter; if she’s early enough, she could take a detour. Actually, knowing her, if she did that, she’d just wind up late anyway, get caught in the traffic she’d managed to avoid by leaving early. No, not a good idea. But she’ll get up early, take her notebook with her and note down all those ideas, then she’ll get home tomorrow night and be able to type them all up, get the story down on paper, finally. How exciting! She was definitely going to get up early tomorrow. She felt a thrill course through her body, the electricity that only comes from a grand idea coursing through her veins. Yes. She had a plan…now she’ll just pick up her book for a little while, read a few pages or a chapter until she can’t keep her eyes open. She’ll definitely put the book down by ten forty-five. Maybe eleven, latest.

Just a tad longer, this bit is too interesting.

Ok, she should really put it down, now. But what if she doesn’t get a chance to read again until tomorrow night? She can’t stand the thought of waiting that long…

It’s ten past twelve, she’ll put it down now. It’s a bit late, but she’s sure she could still get up early, even if she’s a bit tired. She’ll just power through. Once she wakes up, she’ll just get out of bed, and she’ll wake up properly in no time. No problem.

     

“Dammit, Ellie!! Will you hurry up with your shoes and get in the car! We’re already late!”