I stood in the dark kitchen and didn’t move

Dear Delyara, The counters were wiped enough. The lunches were mostly done. The dishwasher was on. Everyone else had drifted into softer evening shapes. I turned the light off and just stayed there for a few seconds in the dark, listening to nothing much. That moment felt bigger than it should have. I think because nothing in it was asking me for the next thing. No immediate task, no decision, no voice, no request. Just one room no longer needing me for a few seconds, and my body realising how rare that feeling has become before bed. There are nights when ten seconds of non-demand feel more intimate than conversation. Last night was one of them.