“Honey, I’m home.” Sheila slid off her pumps, plopped the groceries on the kitchen counter, and laid her suit jacket across the back of the sofa. “Power went out at work, so they sent us home early. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.” While potatoes nuked in the microwave, she opened a can of vegan chili and sectioned an orange. “How come you’re so quiet, babe?” She jiggled the bedroom door handle. “Hey there, dreamer; it’s time for dinner. Why is the door locked?”             “I’m sorry,” he said as he opened the door.             “Empty vows.  I’m your EFFin beard.” Author Notes This is from a class assignment: Write a 100-word flash fiction using these five words: orange, beard, suit, dream, empty. In my research to find something uncommon about one of the required words, I discovered bearded marriages. A "bearded marriage" refers to a marriage where one partner is used to publicly conceal the other partner's sexual orientation. Works Cited Nappirebecca Nappi, Rebecca. "Women pay in bearded relationships." The Spokesman-Review, 28 May 2005, https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2005/may/28/women-pay-in-bearded-relationships/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.

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