Karen blinked, raising her hand to the pain on the side of her head. Something pulled at the back of her hand. She opened her eyes to see she was in a hospital. She sighed when the vision of her husband came back clearer then before. She slowly sat up on the bed that squeaked beneath her.

"Hello, you were out for a few hours darling." A blonde nurse said skimming around the bed grabbing karen's hand. "Hang on dear, you will rip this out. We decided to put the drip in because you were so pail on arrival." The nurse explained putting clear tape over the needle stuck in Karen's hand.

"Keith?" Karen managed to get out, watching every move of the nurse. The nurse stopped and stared into Karen's eyes. It was as though she was confused. "My husband! He was lying on the kitchen floor, blood everywhere!" Karen screamed.

"Oh, sorry, I will be back in a minute. Here, lye down and I shall sent for the doctor." The nurse slipped her hand behind Karen's back and encouraged her to lye down and relax. That was the last thing she wanted to do. If it was not for the drip, she'd been up looking for Keith. The vivid memory bounced back into her haunted mind. She walked in for coffee then saw Keith lying spread out across the tiled floor with a blood puddle coming from his head. Had he been attacked or fallen? Karen cursed herself for going out to get pampered. She should have been home looking after him. He was older them her. They had been together for sixty years, met as children and fell in love after realizing no one else knew them more better then themselves. The boys! Karen suddenly thought and felt for the buzzer under the pillow. Her hand searched until she felt the small finger hole then slipped her index finger into it.

"Yes, Karen?" Another nurse poked her head around her door.

"I need a phone. I have to make a phone call." Karen demanded feeling her heart race in though of what to say to her sons. The nurse pressed a green button then punched in a code.

"It will be here shortly. Anything else?"

"Yes, my husband. where is he?"

"I don't know. I will ask some one. Was he visiting?"

"No! He was injured at home. The other nurse is getting the doctor." Karen explained feeling a bit more agitated when a stainless steal model arrived with a phone in it's claw.

"Phone for Karen. Two Dollars a call please." A recorded voice came from within the model.

"I don't have two dollars!" Karen finally burst.

"Phone call rejected." The recorded voice announced as the model reversed away.

"Look. I'm sure the doctor will arrive soon. Relax and wait." The nurse said in a sweet but stern voice then left Karen alone. Why was this happening? How long before she will know if her husband is alive or dead. Will she ever know?

© Colette R

Karen opened the wooden front door to her small cottage. Keith and herself have been happily living here for twenty seven years, bought up their two children, Clive and Grahame. She closed the door quietly behind her thinking Keith could be asleep as she heard no usual tinkling in the sun room. He had set up a small card table where he designed mosaic pictures and then he'd go down to the local market on a Sunday morning and sell them for a hobby. People loved them. Being a tiler by trade he had picked up skills that helped him create individual master pieces of animals, trees, cars and even peoples faces. The unique way he designed them made people marvel over the selection before buying two or three for presents.

Karen frowned feeling a tremor of nerves sweep through her body. She place her handbag next to the soft blue lounge they purchased twenty two years ago. It was still in mint condition. Clive and Grahame were never allowed to eat or drink on them as children which help preserve them. The walls of the lounge room were covered with original artworks Karen had done throughout the years. She had made a successful business and Keith was able to cut back his work hours spending more time doing the maintenance around the house and maintaining their half an acre yard. There were trees to always be trimmed, dogs to be washed and not to mention leaves to be cleaned every few days. Most of Karen's Paintings were portraits of Keith, Clive and Grahame. There were no grandchildren at this stage. The boys were so busy with their little businesses. Clive followed his fathers footsteps and set up a tiling business where he travels to do work all over Australia and therefore had not thought about marriage. Of course, he would bring home the occasional girlfriend and claim they are close friends. Karen and Keith would look at each other with amusement in their eyes. As for Grahame, he works in the city with a firm who sell kitchen things. He had bought a set of pots and pans home to show them what he was doing. Karen was taken back by the performance of the complete system. Claiming to cook a whole roast in half an hour and the vegetables as well. Of course, the cost was outrageous, but Grahame insisted he would make a fortune with two years and he did.

Karen pealed off her shoes and placed them on the top row of the homemade shoe rack Keith made when the children were young. She slowly walked past the lounge room and into the sun room. Keith was no where to be found, so she decided coffee was on the cards then made her way into the kitchen. A wave of fright whistled through her body. Her hand slapped against her mouth. Tears instantly stung her eyes. Her heart pained like never before when she felt her body tumble to the floor.

© Colette R

Karen slipped her her soft dainty feet into her shoes aware that any sudden movement would spoil the bright red polish Colin had just perfectly painted on her toes.

"How does your feet feel now?" Colin asked in a high pitch voice. Karen blushed, not with embarrassment but with humor. She had met men like Colin before who worked in clothes shops, like David Jones and Myers, but never in a beauty salon. His touch melted her skin. Kneading the souls of her feet perfectly with sweet smelling lotion that relaxed every part of her body.

"They felt fantastic. Thankyou." Karen answered pulling out her wallet from the green leather handbag.

"Twenty two dollars please, young lady." Colin stated with his lips pierced tightly.

"Well, you are quite the gentleman. I shall come and get my feet done by you again soon." Karen smiled passing over twenty and ten notes.

"I shall be here, nice meeting you. Bye now." Colin's smile faded in the corner of Karen's eye when she slowly turned her back to walk out of the beauty salon.

She had been coming here for over twenty years now. The first time her husband booked her into a complete make over was a day she would never forget.

Karen sat down at the small table with a pink hand towel covering it. Nail polish of every color you could imagine, stacked in a triangular shape up the wall. Plastic nails in small containers for each finger. She remembered thinking if the plastic nails were for toes as well as fingers. She sipped the champagne two hours later while her feet soaked in a foot spa and one of her hands melted with delight in warm wax. To top off the day, a massage with aromatherapy oils. Karen sighed remembering how special she felt with all those envious eyes on her. It was her husbands idea. He always had something to surprise her with. Just last week it was flowers and her favorite, chocolates.

She walked towards the taxi rank and pressed her palm against the cool red glass that gave her identification as a regular passenger. Two minutes later a taxi arrived. Karen opened the back door and slide into the seat.

"Ready." Karen said sitting right back in the seat sightly wincing as the seat belt whooshed passed her shoulders and stapled her into the seat.

"Hello Mrs Nissl." How was your shopping today?" The taxi driver asked through a speaker. Karen flipped her thumb in the air and smiled in reponse.

© Colette R

Why I could not write today!

I want to sit and have some quite time but the bird just flew then he pood leaving me to clean his mess.

I sat at the computer and scratch my head then my son complains his bored and his shorts are torn! To patch in a dash was a challenge of mine then sending him out to play with writing on my mind.

My oldest son wants his friend over to play, now that's half of my day!

The beds aren't made and the bathrooms a mess. I think I better clean the tub, so rub a dub dub, now the tub is sparkling clean.

I walk into the kitchen and see dishes piled high. Closed my eyes and imagined the slime. If I leave it for another hour would the smell have an affect on the story I want to tell? I better do them as one can tell hygiene is important, so lets keep it clean.

Well, now it's six and I haven't wrote a bit, tea should be ready. There are kids to bath, so maybe tomorrow I will have a good laugh as I try again because today was the day, I just could not fit a word in!

© Colette R