Free The Plain White Room by Oliver Phisher

not knowing how to start or what to say.
    “Oh okay,” she said nodding his mind drifting. “I’m here because of my ex-husband,” she said. Lepus didn’t know what else to say and wished he had decided her invitation and gone back to his room.
    “He was so smart and manipulative. He was a doctor you see,” she said starting to stare out the window. “He took my son away. I just need some time to get my head straight. A bit of rest and then I can work things out.”
    “I see,” Lepus muttered trying to be empathetic.
    “How old is your son?”
    “Fifteen. He’s a great kid. Big into sport. He’s favourite is hockey. He might be able to get into a state team. He’s so good.” She beamed.
    Lepus edged back in his seat trying to seem more comfortable. Whenever she smiled, she had dimples on both of her cheeks.
    “What kind of hockey? Like ice hockey?”
    “Field hockey! I don’t understand how he runs around with all those sticks flying everywhere. He gets so many scratches on his knees as well. But he just loves it.”
    Lepus smiled, nodding. “That’s great.”
    “Yeah, he lives with his father.”
    “What’s your son’s name?”
    “Liam,” she said smiling.
    Lepus tightened his grip on his coffee cup. Causing it to bend and the coffee to rise. He eased, and it moved back into its position.
    “So what did your husband, I mean your ex-husband do?” Lepus asked with a hesitant tone.
    “Well,” she said sighing. “It’s hard to explain I suppose. He would come home late every night. Never tell me where he was. He’s with another woman now, so I suppose he just was always with her.
    He had a way of making that seem ridiculous. Looking back I don’t know how. Just some people are good at lying I suppose.
    Then when he finally told me he was leaving one day, he’d already moved our savings into other accounts. Made sure our lawyer was going to continue working with him. In the end, I just accepted the package they put forward for the split. I got my own lawyer, but it was hard.”
    Her ring made a clicking noise as she rubbed her hands together.
    “All I wanted was for Liam to stay with me. I got a job almost as soon as he left. He sold our house. The courts saw that my ex-husband had a new home and his partner. But I’m hopeful I’ll get full custody soon. I just need to organise things, you know? But I’ll be here for a little while longer. Get some rest. Liam doesn’t know I’m here.”
    “Right,” Lepus said nodding. Somehow his coffee was empty, despite not taking any conscious sips. He started to feel restless, and his leg was jittering.
    He could feel his heart rate rising. He knew it was just the caffeine but still it upset him.
    He didn’t want to start yelling or anything just as embarrassing. So he pushed his chair backwards and said “Well I’m sure everything will be okay in the end. It’s great to hear you’re working towards something. I’m going to head back to my room to read” He said standing.
    ***

Chided by a Cello
     
    Lepus jumped out of his car, excited just at the thought of seeing Alice. Running down the gravel drive, he was almost skipping. Getting closer to her front door he realised anyone could be looking out the window, how silly to be this happy to see her. They had been together for almost five years and still after being apartfor only a week he was ecstatic to see her.
    The stairs of the front porch creaked under Lepus's weight. He put his hand on the door of the house, then remembered that Alice’s sister was staying with her. What was the etiquette here? He had entered without knocking hundreds of times before. Leaning in he placed his head against the door, trying to listen to see if he could overhear them talking. Then it crossed his mind how ridiculous that was and started to feel awkward. It was then that he caught a whisper of a sound. A single musical note drifted through the house. Lepus smiled, Alice was playing her cello.
    He without