Love

Love? Bleurgh! Doesn't the word make you sick? I can't stand the word. Love? Eeurgh! It makes me shudder. I often lie in bed awake, the word reverberating around my head while she is sound asleep. I can hear her voice pronouncing the word in delight, clicking the 'l' with her tongue to express her satisfaction. I can see her mouthing the word from afar while I stand there sweating. I know one day the word will be the end of our relationship. "Forty-love," she calls, as her serve whistles past me. Why can't I beat my wife at tennis?

Jonathan Hill Merits