THE TABLE (a short story)

They had been married for almost ten years. He was a History teacher who would ask life for nothing more than good food, a good bed to rest and a lovable partner. She, on the other hand, was a very ambitious lawyer. They had no kids, she couldn´t spare the time for such things. He couldn´t precisely remember the moment in which the love of his life, that gorgeous girl that he had met at university, had turned into this cut-throat bitch ready to win the rat-race at any cost. She didn´t even look at him now, her eyes fixed on the flashy screen of her smartphone. For her, of course, it was more than a state-of-the-art mobile phone. For her, it was like holding a beating heart on her right hand. This beautiful gadget was the centre of her life now: it was useful and entertaining, unlike her husband.
So he just kept silent, forgotten and taken for granted; watching his youth pass by. Until one afternoon, just before she came back from work, he felt an excruciating pain in his back which made him fall to his knees. The pain turned unbearable and made him get down on all fours. Now, when he listened the sound of her keys on the door. He gave her an agonizing look, but she didn´t even notice he was there. Instead, she went to the kitchen and prepared a good cup of fresh coffee while turning on the TV. Then, she just dropped on the sofa, took off her stilettos and laid her bare feet on her husband's back.