For Sherry
Happy birthday!

Every night they go to bed furious with each other.

Every night they silently vow to themselves that it is their last night in that bed.

But every night Michael makes her sleep on the right side of the bed and Maria obliges.

They both know…

Right side is the side closer to the window.

Right side is the side the sun comes up.

-

Maria wants the apartment to be clean and neat, in case someone shows up, but Michael says everyone can go to hell for all he cares.

Maria wants to paint the living room white to make it look more spacious, but Michael thinks green looks good, why mess with it?

Maria wants to get a pet, she says she needs something to communicate since all Michael ever does is to watch TV, but Michael says pets stink. He says she can buy a fish, but he can't promise to not flush it down the toilet.

Maria visits Brody’s daughter and comes back to find the apartment in shreds. Michael sleeps for a day afterwards, not opening his eyes, not talking to her. Later he says he never gets jealous and Maria believes him.

Maria wants to watch ‘Friends’ but they can’t afford another TV, so she watches hockey instead.

Maria wants to tell Michael that she wants children, but Michael never listens. All he ever does is to look through her like she's not even there.

Maria sings sometimes, but Michael never tells her that she has a beautiful voice. He frowns and tells her to shut up, he can't hear the TV. She cries in the bathroom, muffling her sobs in water.

They try staying apart, but it never works. They find themselves together every time before they can begin to understand what being apart actually feels like.

They try staying together, but that never works either.

They fight every afternoon, breaking plates, yelling at each other, accusing each other of millions of things they never even remember afterwards.

Then they make love. They touch, they kiss, they cling to each other as if they would die if they let go. And at those moments, they probably would.

By night, they are at each other’s throats again. Michael calls her a slut and Maria says she can't believe she is still with a loser like him.

Every night they go to bed furious with each other.

Every night they silently vow to themselves that it is their last night in that bed.

But every night Michael makes her sleep on the right side of the bed and Maria obliges.

They both know…

Right side is the side closer to the window.

Right side is the side the sun comes up.

-

Michael is always the first to wake up, at 5 AM every morning.

He half opens his eyes to watch the sunlight climb up her body, making her skin light up and shine.

He falls in love with her every morning, before the sun could even reach her face.

Deeper… Harder…

Maria stirs and frowns as the sun hits her eyelids. She groans and mumbles incoherently, making the same little noises every time.

Michael extends his arms to her, “Come here.”

He pulls her to him, away from the sun, and she buries her face in his neck.

She sighs. He loves feeling her sigh against his skin.

For hours he holds her.

As she sleeps, he thinks.

He thinks about how much he hates to share her; with friends, or pets.

He thinks about how he can't stand the thought of her leaving him; for her music, or another man.

He thinks about the things he would fail her yet again; being a good husband, or a good father.

He thinks about how he steals her away from the sun everyday… the sun that makes her shine like he never could.

He hates himself for loving her.

He knows she should leave him. He knows she would be better off without him.

He knows it could never work between them.

He knows he would die without her.

He pulls her tighter and sleeps against her neck, inhaling the strawberry scent deeply so it would never leave him.

Every morning Maria wakes up feeling warm and loved.

Every morning she listens to their hearts beat together before she opens her eyes.

Every morning she finds out once more what she needs to get through another day.

He will love her no matter what…

For as long as the sun comes up.