The sun came through the blinds in slits coming to rest on her legs. The bed was positioned so no sun would touch her face. Most nights she struggled to find sleep, so once she had discovered it, she wanted to limit the potential disturbances as much as possible. The elephants upstairs and traffic on the highway couldn’t be helped, but the morning sun could.
She looked peaceful now, mouth just open, eyes shut gently, covers tucked up to her midsection to combat the early morning cool. The only peculiarity were her arms . They rested across her chest in the style one equates with the Egyptian pharaohs.
Most mornings I watched her from the doorway. I was eager to see her calm after the ravings of the previous night. Her mind and body would rage against sleep, fighting it like the immune system fights disease.
It was exhausting. I was with her every day. I could see the toll it took on her. I know what it did to me.
I could never leave her to this fight on her own, so I stayed up with her each night, battling the demons that ate at her. They weren’t so much demons as they were thoughts. Thoughts, which sent surges of energy pulsing through the bloodstream, longing for some undescribed action.
Action, had she known what it was, she could never take because of the exhaustion of the thousands of sleepless nights. I ached for her in my depths, hoping she would be able to find some peace.
That’s why this morning was so special. Most mornings her brow was creased with the trouble of her dreams. Today, her face was blank. No worries lay in knitted brows, just a dreamy calm.
Most mornings I would go to her and nudge her towards wakefulness. Today, I left her. I couldn’t bear the thought of disturbing her now that she had found some rest. I drifted from the room, leaving her to rest in peace.
