PAULINE
I woke in the guest room with daylight already pushing through the curtains, thin blades of gold cutting across the floorboards and stopping just short of the bed. For a moment I stayed where I was, listening to the quiet of the estate and letting my thoughts gather themselves into something orderly. My skin felt tight, the familiar dryness that always came after a restless night. I swung my legs off the mattress and crossed the room toward the bathroom without thinking about it too much. Routine had always been my way of keeping the day from unraveling too quickly.
It was also a good thing that because of the many fights my husband and I usually had, I made sure most guest room were stocked with what I needed.
