Traced and tied

The woman slowly rises
Slowly
Ever slower
Pushing up against gravity
Dragging the weight of her body up
His eyes follow her face as it is elevated
Body upright
The exertion of the muscles forces a single tear from her eye
A slow, scraping inhale
Exhale
Again Inhale
Hold
Lips together
Hold
Lips part
Exhale
She tilts
Not enough
Application of more force
Slowly increasing
The centre of gravity begins to move
Tension in the calf
The thigh
A heel lifts
Toe slides through the blood
Forward
Then heel down
Repeat

A toe taps abruptly against the tiled base that walls the fitted bath
She begins to lift the knee but is unsteady
Lower the foot to the floor
The body follows the motion and slowly crumples
Hands on the edge of the bath
Steadied, she moves her body into the bath
One leg at a time over the edge
Sees the set of taps for the bath
Moves the head
The set of taps for the shower
Reaches for them
Clutching
Application of force

Behind her the man lowers himself to the tiles
Closes his eyes
And coughs