All In

Rosa Sharon woke up. For a second, she didn’t know where she was. Then she felt the arm around her waist.

She turned. Joseph was awake. He was watching her.

-Did you sleep well? he asked.

-Surprisingly well, she said. Considering.

She stared at the ceiling. The paint was peeling. It looked like a map of a country that didn’t exist.

-I have money saved, he said, meaning the word liberally. There was money he could get to. Quite a bit. We can leave town. Start a new life.

She froze.

-Leave town? she asked.

-Why not?

She sat up. She pulled the sheet around her.

-That’s a huge step, she said.

-It’s up to you, he said.

She bit her lip.

-It’s not that I don’t want to, she said. But I’m terrified to leap into the unknown. I’ve spent my life following a path. School. Career. Marriage.

He sat up too. The sheet fell to his waist.

-We might as well go all in, he said.

-All in, she repeated. Isn't that dangerous?

-We already crossed the point of no return, he said.

He leaned in. He kissed her cheek.

She closed her eyes. She thought about the hotel where the wedding ceremony was going to take place. Two ball rooms, one for the ceremony and one for the reception. The groom waiting. Had they used both to party anyway?

-You’re right, she said.

-Exactly.

She looked at him.

-So let’s go all in, she said.