Frustration

Arms had been thrown up, doors had been slammed, and feelings had been trodden.

Paul heard Lucy sobbing in the next room as he laid on the floor and stared at the ceiling. His girlfriend of seven years was furious with him and he had absolutely no idea why. They had enjoyed a wonderful evening. He had taken her to dinner, they saw a delightful movie, and had started to explore on the couch when things had gone off the rails.

He followed their conversation – OK, argument – as well as he could back to where it had begun.

They were fighting about ambition, which had sprung from money, which had sprung from marriage, which had sprung from…where did it start from?

He gripped his forehead and squeezed, trying to force the memory out of his mind. It must have worked, because he then remembered the question and response that started it all.

“Is this all you could ever want?” Lucy had asked.

“I guess,” Paul had said, smiling.

And things had unraveled from there. Paul couldn’t understand it.