The Monthly Visit - A Flash Fiction Story

Published November 30, 2013 by Mary McShane

A bottle of pills accompanied the monthly visit. She would set me up with what I needed to get through the first day; a few pills, some food, favorite drinks and personal necessaries.

About an hour would pass and she would crawl into her bed, only to wail about the pain I am causing her. She extols how I am ruining her social life because she can't go out with her friends, and is embarrassed to have anyone over. She lists what she could be doing instead of this, how she is missing out on all the things people her age are doing. At least there is television or whatever music she is playing.

The second day she treats me a bit better, even going out for a couple of hours to the store. She won't meet any of her friends as long as I am around though. She got some take-out food, so once a month, at least there is always comfort food.

The third day, that cold shoulder starts to rear its ugly head. It is like she doesn't even know me for all the attention she pays me now. She shares no more pills, very little necessaries, but the food is getting better. When she meets her friends, she blows me off like I was never there.

She is okay now until the next monthly visit when she will treat me the same all over again. How can she call me her "Friend," yet wail at me, even call me other bad names and then ignore me after a few days?

After a few months, she sees we are meeting pretty regularly. Some day, she'll thank me for that.

Instead she says these visits are getting harder to endure and she warns me, "This better not be a sign of things to come."

I don't have it in me to tell her.... this is just the beginning.

(315 words)

© November 2013 Mary McShane