I thought he needed my touch.

He looked empty.

My hand’s warmth could provide him respite.

But that wasn’t allowed.

I could offer only a smile and wave from across the room.

He nodded, resignation wrapped with tedium.

Latex gloves announced despair, their blue color an exclamation on our lives.

Jill has been writing since childhood. She believes well-turned phrases can connect emotions and people. She’s published academic work, but her main passion is fiction.