Change
by Greta Igl
(100 words)
A sweaty hand slides up her thigh. The leathery ribs of the upholstery stripe her white back, overripe folds of skin where once she was sleek, before that dimpled like a baby, but years and they have passed, ticked off like days on a calendar.
She is a baby no longer, hasn't been for far too long.
Damp hair sketches the steamy window.
Stop!
Save me.
Too late.
She stares off, fakes a smile, that she enjoyed it.
She shrivels.
She counts them, David, Michael, Scott…
Was there a Paul?
Time to move on. Forget.
Change is her only constant.
Greta is a former technical writer and self-proclaimed Jack-of-all-Trades. Her short fiction has been published most recently in Long Story Short. Another short story, "Vicki, Existentially," will be appearing in the upcoming issue of 10x10x10. Copyright © 2007 Greta Igl