by MustBTVDay thirty-five of furlough. The first real day without her here. The bed felt bigger this morning, not in a good way, just… empty. Coffee came next, the ritual answer to everything: Starbucks Venti White Chocolate Mocha, my constant through chaos. The first sip hit hard, familiar and grounding, but the silence that followed had weight.
Remi’s been my shadow all morning. She followed me from room to room, her paws a soft metronome on the hardwood. She doesn’t quite understand what’s different, just that something is. Every time I walk toward the door, her tail starts to wag like she’s hoping this is the trip to bring Amy back. It’s not. Not yet.
I ran a few errands, mostly to keep the walls from closing in. Grocery run, fuel stop, drive just long enough to let the silence fade under the hum of the road. Remi rode shotgun, head out the window, ears flapping like freedom itself. For a few miles, it almost felt normal, mocha in hand, my co-pilot alert and happy, sunlight spilling across the dash.
Back home, I dove into the usual distractions, overlay edits, music launch prep, tweaking assets that are probably already fine. Anything to keep the noise of missing her from taking shape. The pets fell into their assigned duties: Mittens commandeered the desk, Tabby took her watch post near the window, and Remi settled back at my feet, sighing like the whole house exhaled with her.
Morale check: running on caffeine and companionship. The Living Room Republic carries on, mocha-fueled, Remi-led, and one day closer to the sound of her key in the door again.
