She sits on the couch immersed in a book. Across the room, he watches TV from his recliner. Headphones on, to avoid disturbing her. A perfect picture of empty-nesters, apparently.

Kids, the bridge connecting the two islands, gone. An ocean tosses between them. Of silence. Words would raise a tsunami.

Preeti is notorious for shirking duties when engrossed in reading literary fiction, writing short stories and designing graphics. A former journalist, she now works as a marketing professional in Southern California. She digs her annual gig as a publicist for a film festival.