The fog rolled in as the gray skies blocked out the sun. I awoke in a daze and stumbled over to the window. As I stretched the sleep-tingles away, I pondered what I was going to do that day. I went through my morning routine then headed downstairs to take another shot of being alive.

            “Morning, hun.” my wife mumbled. “Sleep well?” Her gray hair was pulled back in a ponytail, as if she was trying to hide her aging with a youthful hairstyle.

            “Ehh… it was alright.” I tried not to bother anyone with mindless complaints about the timber-like firmness of the mattress. It wasn’t my style to complain, especially since I picked it out to begin with. “How’d you sleep?”

            “That mattress is as hard as a brick. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t sleep a wink! You have terrible taste.” She plopped a burnt pancake onto my plate next to two perfectly crisped strips of bacon. “Sorry if it’s a little burnt, I had to get some Advil and they got a little too well done.”

            “The fog’s coming in again today. It’ll be a little longer before I’m able to go in to town. You have anything you need?” I set down a half-empty glass of orange juice on the counter and stared out the front window.

            “Yeah, I wrote a list out for ya. It has every store highlighted with a different marker so you won’t get confused this time.” I shuffled over to the fridge and searched for the list. “You gonna be able to get these, or do you need me to go with you?”

            “I should be fine. I just need a little fresh air, that’s all.” Tonya folded up the list and shoved it in my flannel coat.