Ritual

     She woke up late once again.  The night before, she promised herself this wouldn't happen.  Sleeping in only feels good if one's had a busy week and feels their body's need for rest, she thought.  Sleeping in only feels good if you consider waking at nine or ten to be sleeping in.
     It was noon and she ached.  Bernard rolled the first joint around ten in the evening, and things went the way they usually went.  A joint each while watching a downloaded movie on his computer, then at least one shared joint while they watched some episodes of whatever series their friends were buzzing about at the time.  She went to bed before her boyfriend, she always did.  There were nights when she wasn't tired, but he'd look at her during the end credits through a fresh cloud of smoke and say "Well, then," as if that meant "Off to bed young lady."
    He wasn't hiding anything from her, she knew that.  She knew because she'd check the internet history the next day while he took his morning shower.  There were no late night porn videos, no chatting.  He would watch her patter towards the bathroom to wash her face and roll another cigarette.  Then he'd watch her make her way, fresh-faced, towards the bedroom door, calling out "I'll be there in a minute."  Then he'd read his online articles, music mainly, some film.  After turning off the lights, shutting the windows and emptying the ashtrays, he'd climb into bed next to her.  She'd drowsily turn towards him for a series of goodnight kisses or possible sex, but it always ended in him setting his alarm for 8:30 and her rolling over vowing to get up at the same time as him.
    For two weeks in a row now, this didn't happen.  The waking up with the alarm thing.  He would hit snooze several times before throwing himself in the shower and she would lay sprawled across the bed, snuggled into the luxury of a jobless day, knowing that the only thing Bernard would say is that she could sleep as long as she wanted.

   How do couples become this predictable?  How many evenings and mornings does it take before every gesture and every word can be repeated so easily, with so little thought?  Gaelle removed the old tea bag from the day before putting a fresh one into the pot.  The water in the kettle was slowly coming to a boil but she didn't even remember putting it on the stove.