© C.E.Ayr

Sunday Photo Fiction⇐this is the link if you want to participate.

Thank you to Alistair at Sunday Photo Fiction as always for providing this prompt! To read more stories for this prompt, click here.

I Choose You

After walking Judy suggests stopping at the tearoom overlooking the river. I order a slice of coconut cake. An orange cat winds itself around my legs, purring, while a black and white one crawls onto my lap.

Edward grins. “Even here you pick up strays.”

“Oh, they’re not strays,” say the proprietor, placing the teapots on the table. “They’re pests. My husband’s pests.”

Edward’s sister, Judy, and her partner, Stanley, sit opposite us. Judy eyes my cake.

“That looks nice,” Judy says. “You Americans and your sweets.”

On her plate is half of a scone; on Stanley’s is the other half. I glance at Edward, my lips still hugging the fork, adoring the delicious cake. He’s oblivious to the constant undercurrent.

I take one more tiny bite and then set the plate on the table.

Judy raises a thin eyebrow. “You’re not going to finish that? You lot always waste food. When I was young, we were lucky to even see cake. Isn’t that right, Edward?”

A boat motors by its throb like the cat’s purr. Edward pats the orange cat on the head, squeezes my fingers, and then taps my wedding ring, silently reminding me: “I choose you.”

end 2/1/2017

S. Darlington