Her soon-to-be-non-husband is already there. She’s late. In the too-bright room, Jim the mediator takes her coat and gently folds it on a separate chair. He has placed two plastic cups of water and a box of tissues on the table, which is too big for the room so that soon-to-be-not-husbands don’t have to sit too closely to their soon-to-be-not-wives. At the moment when Jim says, “So just to state the obvious. We’re here because you want a separation,” her husband says, “Yup.” Jim looks at her and she slowly nods. There is a loud swishing sound inside her head.
Beth O’Halloran is a visual artist, writer, and educator based in Dublin, Ireland, but her Maine roots pull her back often. Publications include The Irish Times, Bloom Literary. Find Beth online at www.bethohalloran.com, on Instagram @ohalloranbeth, and on Twitter @sokosan.