The Apron

Moonlight illuminated the guest room where Ruth Jones paraded naked in front of a full-length mirror. Her husband, Max, slept across the hall, as unaware of her absence as he was of her needs.

Critically, Ruth examined her no longer youthful body, attempting to comprehend why her husband seemed indifferent. Maybe her figure wasn't as firm as it used to be when she first married Max. Her breasts were ample, and still her best asset, but now they sagged slightly. Her hips, buttocks and thighs were rounded, and she could stand to lose twenty pounds. Her legs were long, but cellulite appeared in places she'd never dreamed possible. The birth of her last child nearly twenty-five years ago, and the passage of time, had taken its toll on her body.

Leaning closer to the mirror, Ruth gazed into her tired eyes, and wondered when the spirited, young, farm girl had grown old. Crow's feet splayed out from the corner of her eyes. She preferred calling them "laugh lines". She bestowed her reflection with a smile that lit up her face, but also deepened the wrinkles around her mouth.

Sighing, Ruth pulled her thin, cotton gown back over her head and padded across the hallway to the bedroom she had shared with Max for the past thirty-one years. Sliding next to him, she stretched out, saddened that he didn't stir...