When Your Wife Leaves You For a Younger Man You Go to Outer Space
Flash fiction
Andrew saw the barista behind the counter and a flicker of hope for light-hearted conversation made a crack in his hardened heart. Beth left only last week for Todd, a cocky twenty-something. How had his marriage ended like this?
“Sir. Sir!” the barista cleared her throat noisily.
“Oh. Could I please get an iced mocha?” What the hell did he just say? Andrew didn’t even like chocolate.
“Sure. $4.25.” Andrew paid with $20 and left the change. Being rich and generous felt good. He wondered what it would be like to have a modest amount of money after investing his life’s savings in the NASA trial training program. His childhood dream of shooting off into space was finally happening. Take that Beth. And, Todd. Andrew grimaced at the memory of them sucking face in the grocery store parking lot.
Wasn’t he the one who was supposed to trade in for a younger model? But, that wasn’t his style. He had looked forward to growing comfortably old with Beth. All gone to a black hole now.
“Andrew! Mocha!” the barista called from behind the counter. Andrew said thank you and sat down at the bar.
He looked at the barista again. Curly brown hair, doe eyes — an oceanic blue-green…
