where else to go

The world was just getting weirder by the day, Micah thought as he stood in the bathroom doorway with a toothbrush in his mouth. Iona was the last person he thought he'd ever meet on earth.

These days the only people who were singing were on ZOOM and they were practically in boxes.

Micah didn't care for it one bit. Everything was hurting. He just didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think how his life had gone down the tubes. He never heard from his ex anymore, especially when Sally finally told him her kid wasn't his.

Honestly, there wasn't much to put effort into this life these days. And now all he could think of was that baby he didn't want to like, but missed so much now. He truly was an awful person after all.

"How about I scramble you some eggs and pancakes," Iona awoke his misery.

"Huh?" He didn't want anything from her, but they were the only two in the house. Diago and Char went down to the bakery and were handing out coffee and breakfast sandwiches at the nearby hospital parking lot.

Iona looked at him as if she might brush his teeth for him, but he turned just in time and went into the bathroom to spit out the foam in his mouth.

"All right," but he felt sure it would be tasteless.

She was all smiling with the breakfast she made. Dam, he hated to spoil her sunshine.

"You're gonna make me fat, woman." He was straight lipped, using droplets of syrup.

"You might be in a better mood, if you were," Iona grinned.

"What are you so happy about?" He couldn't quite look her in the eye.

"I've been living in hell, these past few years," she told him. "This feels like a vacation."

Micah nodded. He didn't know her that well, but he supposed he would now.

"I didn't even know Diago had a sister," he shrugged.

"Yeah, he doesn't say much." Iona nodded as she ate like a famished athlete.

"Well, not about you." He looked up at her blankly.

"I dunno why he envies me, there was nothing to be envy about," Iona's expression was sad.

Suddenly, it occurred to Micah that he did have something in common with her. The sadness.