4338.204 · July 23, 2018 AD
Through the Window
A marriage collapsing in real time. Claire and Paul circle each other in the kitchen, years of resentment finally erupting. Then Luke calls—needs Paul urgently, already bought the ticket. While Paul listens to Luke's "serious issues," Claire vents to her sister about her "bastard" husband. The window becomes Paul's escape route. Rose bushes become his obstacle. And by the time Claire reaches the porch, his taillights are disappearing into the night.
"What were you thinking, Paul?"
The question hangs in the kitchen air, heavy with years of unspoken grievances. The kids are at the grandparents'. The house is too quiet. And the marriage is finally breaking.
When Paul's phone rings, it's a lifeline—Luke calling from Hobart, voice urgent, ticket already purchased. "I need you. I'm having issues with Jamie." Paul seizes the escape, retreating to the bedroom while Claire calls her sister Amelia.
Two phone calls. Two perspectives. Two versions of the same crumbling relationship.
Paul overhears Claire call him a "bastard" and decides: he's leaving. Tonight. But confrontation isn't his style, so he chooses the window. The rose bushes below have other ideas.
Claire catches him mid-escape, legs dangling, bags already on the ground. "What in the name of fuck are you doing hanging out the window?"
The answer comes in the form of Paul's graceless tumble into thorns, his scramble to the car, and the roar of the engine as he reverses down the driveway.
By the time Claire reaches the porch, he's gone.
And neither of them knows he's driving toward his own disappearance.
