she wants to take that damn cat and throw it out the window. specifically, she thinks – cocking her head to the side to hear it patter along the window sill, she wants to turn with her dough-crusted hands and grab it. grip it with iron knuckles and bolted elbows and overhead throw it at her son. that way the screaming cat would be away from her loaves, which haven’t even proofed yet, and her son would learn that leading things into the house comes with responsibilities. it’s his turn to get torn into by the thieving menace with unclipped claws.
but she won’t throw the cat at her son. because the bread needed to bake. there were loaves fresh out of the oven that needed to be turned out of their pans. loaves in the oven being timed. loaves spread around the counters that needed to be packaged. dough sitting in the sink proofing. more on her cutting board wanting on kneading. there was flour everywhere and she was sure it would never leave her apron – her favourite apron.
she hadn’t asked or offered to make bread for the ceremony tomorrow. but she couldn’t say no when the pastor approached her smiling, informing her that her husband said she’d be glad to be the right woman for the job.
so, she smiled and accepted and now here she was baking bread.
ramblings
this is another snippet from a classroom prompt. it was a woman baking bread with a cat in the windowsill and the men and boys in the field. from what i could remember she looked discontented. it made me think of the housewives of old and what they would have done if they didn’t have to rely on men all the times.
we see it today, woman independent and career driven and highly successful. i wonder if a lot of housewives were angry and what they did with that anger. what would i have done if i lacked the agency that i have today.
disclaimer: i know some people love and still love being housewives. but thinking about all the women i know in my life i don’t think a lot of them would have been happy with that lifestyle and even if they would it’s the CHOICE that makes them feel that way. i won’t accept the, it’s all they knew so they were okay, argument. if that was the case suffragettes wouldn’t have come to be. women were not happy with the way they were being treated and chose to do something about it.
so i see an unhappy woman in a kitchen and wonder about the anger she must fell to be unhappy and still there.
and boy this has been some thoughts
it’s because i baked bread the other day and it was great, mind you, but i was also tired and the dough wouldn’t come together properly and i couldn’t think about doing this if i didn’t want to. cause even when I wanted to i still found myself a little discontent.
leigh ann 
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