"Bottom-up"
Logic
by Kristina
England
Jerry sat at
the kitchen table with a puzzle piece in hand. He
examined the jigsaw, then sighed, reached for his
beer, and took a swig.
The cat
thumped down the stairs and jumped on the chair
beside him.
“I
don’t think this piece fits anywhere,”
Jerry said, rubbing the back of her neck. She
curved around his hand until he scratched
her chin. He put her back down on the floor and
returned back to the puzzle.
All the corner
pieces were complete. Why was there an extra
corner piece? And did that mean that he had 1,001
pieces or he was shy the accurate amount to
finish?
His wife,
Eileen, came down the stairs clasping the back of
an earring. She wore a short red dress with a
professional cut.
“I’m
heading out.”
“Honey, I
think I got jipped, again.”
“That’s
nice dear.”
“No
it’s not. Are you even listening? The puzzle
is imperfect.”
“I’m
listening. Life is imperfect, dear.”
“Thanks
for the philosophical moment.”
He took
another gulp of beer and belched.
Eileen bent
over and kissed his cheek.
“I’ll
be home in a few hours.”
“Enjoy
dinner with the girls,” he said, thinking of
how quiet the house would get once she left. He
also decided that next year he would not give up
television for Lent. He didn’t even go to
Mass anymore so why all this routine? Catholic
guilt, he thought and finished his beer.
“By the
way, I love an imperfect puzzle,” Eileen
said, nudging him.
He rolled his
eyes and rubbed her hip.
“I know
you do.”
“You know,
I could miss dinner with the girls,” Eileen
said, sitting down in his lap.
Jerry smiled.
The cat leaped up and sprawled across the puzzle.
His wife nodded at the cat and looked at the
stairs.
“I think
Bella just provided the answer to our dilemma.”
“Yup,
honey. That cat’s a better problem solver
than me.”
Eileen stood
up, unfastened her earrings, dropped them in his
hands, and headed upstairs.
“Oh and
grab me a beer on your way up. If you’re
going to belch all night, I might as well join
the party.”
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