The Early Hour, by Becca Moss

Frühe Stunde (Early Hour), by Karl Hofer (Germany) 1935

The Early Hour 

He looked at her laying so peacefully. Content. Comfortable. The sunlight beaming through the window perfectly shining on her face highlighting her cheekbones and the color in her hair. His dog, Bailey, snoring, sound asleep on the woman's legs. A picture perfect moment. How could anything be more than what this moment was, he thought. Or rather, what it was supposed to be. 

For years they coveted having this moment. For years, they wished and hoped and dreamed just to have this. The sneaking around, the secret “I love you’s”, all to be together for this. He had hoped that it would feel different. That waking up next to her would feel like it was all worth it and that he would finally know who he was supposed to be with and that she was for sure the one. Instead, he felt nothing. The night they had was incredible and they had acted like it was the most normal thing to be together. The instant comfort and flow of conversation was promising. And then the night ended. 

His face scrunched up as he thought. Why is this so hard? Is there something wrong with me? He watched her a little more, waiting for a feeling of admiration to come over him like it should have, but where there was supposed to be love and lust and happiness, there was impatience and indifference. There was nothing wrong with her at all, he thought. She did nothing wrong. She is exactly who he knew her to be. The person that he fell in love with over text and facetime and snapchat. She was wild, honest, blunt, caring, smart, creative, all the things that his wife wasn’t, and it intrigued him. Yet, as she laid there, in the place he had longed to have her in for years, it wasn’t enough.

Becca Moss 

Becca Moss: "I’m Becca, I am a Creative Writing Major at PSU focusing on short story fiction. I actually wrote this ekphrasis for a non-fiction class about one of the art pieces in the Portland Art Museum. I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until years after I had graduated high school and finally started going to college to get my BFA. I look forward to graduating and hopefully having more pieces published!"