Fight Club Chapter 3

       Jordyn rolled over, half asleep, unwilling to open her eyes to the dreary sunlight filtering in through the window. She was just about to fall back asleep when she remembered the heap of chores she had to do today. She cracked her eyes open and looked around. Clothes littered the floor, thrown off and forgotten. Dishes were piled in their little sink and takeout boxes covered the table. She sat up, sighed and stretched, and glanced over at Kale. Still sound asleep, mouth slightly agape, snoring softly. She brushed some unruly hair off his forehead and planting a kiss on his nose, she stood up and got to work.
       First order of business was finding something clean to wear. And given that she had about 5 outfits, and hadn't done laundry in a week, this was quite a feat. Settling on some sort of clean jeans and one of Kales flannel shirts, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, brushed her teeth, and got to work. Rolling up her sleeves, she tackled the dishes, little soap bubbles rising up from her sponge as she scrubbed at three day old mac and cheese. She liked to blow at the bubbles, see if she could make them dance before they popped. But they never lasted long, gone before a single noodle surrendered to the scouring of her sponge.
       Once all the dishes were washed, dried and stowed away in their correct cabinets, she scraped the accumulated trash off the table and into the trash can. Tying up the bag, she left it outside the door for maid service to get. Then she gathered up all the dirty clothes peppering the room and put them in a bag to take to the laundry mat. She scribbled a note for Kale, grabbed her jacket and set off. It was only two blocks to the laundry mat, and they didnt have very many clothes, but with the early morning chill she was nearly frozen by the time she got there. Sliding in her quarters, she started the machine and sat down.
       Watching the washer go round and round, her mind started to wander. Back to her times at home, with her family. When her mom would stick her in front of the washer while she read, or cooked. Watching the laundry spin and swirl was always so soothing to her. Everything made sense, there was a constant pattern, and when it was over, everything was warm and sweet smelling. And after the beep, her mother would come over and ask her if she wanted to help her switch the clothes. She would lay down on the ground and catch any socks that fell out of the mounds of clothes as her mom moved them from one machine to the next. And then Mom would pretend to have lost her under all those mismatched socks. Jordyn would surge up, saying "I'm here! I'm here!" and Mom would laugh and hug her close. Mom would say not to worry,  that she's always be able to find her.
       She closed her eyes, tears threatening to bleed through. She was happy now, she told herself. She knew she was. Jordyn had a great life with Kale, a wonderful one! He loved her and took great care of her. But still, she missed her family so much. She was only seventeen, and already living away from home. Sometimes she wondered what would happen if she ever tried to return to the life she once had. But then she would remember the prejudice in her fathers eyes, and the disappointment in her mothers. She could never go back. She made her bed, and now she had to sleep in it. No matter how empty it sometimes felt.