The sound of the running sports commentary from the living room irritated Kate. Larry never missed any football match. She scrunched her nose, worked her coffee machine in the kitchen and poured herself a cup. Her father's misgivings about her marriage to Larry flipped through her mind. "You deserve better," he said to her a day before her wedding.
But she loved Larry. Until she began to notice their differences...
A ping from her laptop set on the counter drew her attention. She walked to the counter, raised the lid of the laptop and read the email.
Larry waltzed into the kitchen, an empty bottle of beer in his hand to meet a grinning Kate. "Tell me we won a jackpot?"
Kate gently closed her laptop and turned to stare at him. "Not 'we'. Me. My visa application came through."
Larry froze for a moment, absorbing the news. He knew Kate, his wife of five years, had a remarkably different personality from him. She loved adventures and wanted so much to travel the world. He promised they would go but he could not finance such a trip yet.
Kate had been quiet about it for the past two years that he assumed she was okay. Apparently, she was not okay. Kate wanted more out of life while he was content in his present position.
Larry realized he had made a mistake. Why did he not notice her discontent in her silence all these years?
"I did not know you applied for one. We were going to wait, right?" He asked cautiously.
Kate held her laptop by her side and walked up to him beside the coffee machine. "Larry, I was tired of waiting. I felt if I gave you space and time, then it would happen. I should speak up more. Daddy pulled some strings. I'll be leaving for Sydney, Australia in two days. The trip is just for three weeks."
She walked out of the kitchen.
Just three weeks? Larry thought. Or had he lost her totally?
I hope you enjoyed reading my piece. This freewrite is inspired by the prompt "speak up". Join the 
Image by Idan Gil from Unsplash
