The Last Green Leaf

Margaret stood at the kitchen counter, forcing down wilted spinach from a plastic container while her husband Marcus slept in the next room. The cardiologist had been emphatic: her vitamin D levels were catastrophically low, contributing to the fatigue that had been plaguing her for months. At forty-two, she felt ancient.

"You need to fix this," Dr. Patel had said, tapping the blood work results. "Or you're looking at early osteoporosis, depression, maybe cognitive decline."

So here she was, eating spinach that tasted like defeat and irony, while Marcus's phone buzzed with messages from someone named 'K' that he swore was just a colleague from work.

Their dog, Barnaby—a rescued golden retriever with one ear that stood at attention and another that flopped—nudged her leg with his wet nose. He was the only one who noticed her these days. She scratched behind his ears, his fur still damp from the morning rain.

"At least one of us loves me," she whispered.

Barnaby thumped his tail against the cabinet legs. Marcus had wanted a dog because he thought it would make them look like they had their lives together. That was three years ago, before the promotion, before the late nights, before 'K'.

Margaret swallowed another mouthful of spinach. The vitamin supplements on the counter caught the morning light—orange, white, blue bottles arranged like soldiers in a losing battle. She'd been taking them religiously for two weeks. No change yet, but the doctor had said it would take months.

Months. She wasn't sure she had months left in this marriage, not with the way Marcus looked through her instead of at her during dinner.

Barnaby whined, sensing something in her voice. Margaret crouched down, burying her face in his warm fur. The dog smelled like earth and comfort and unconditional loyalty—everything this house lacked.

"It's just you and me, buddy," she said into his shoulder. "Just you and me and this damn spinach."

She stood up, threw the remaining spinach in the trash, and took all the vitamin bottles with her. As she packed her bag, she realized: some deficiencies you can fix with pills and leafy greens. Others require something more drastic. Barnaby followed her to the door, his tail still wagging, ready for whatever came next.