Spare Time

They went to the new neighborhood for the first time on a chilly, sunny Saturday morning. The houses were golden while the leafless trees watched frost melt inch by inch. It was quiet and obviously residential, which she loved and he felt anxious about. They were scouting a single-family house for sale because that's what they did with their spare time now.

He was short with dark forgotten hair and sideburns growing out of his beard, untended gardens. She was taller and had wisps of grayed hair, which he said looked like highlights. Their children were at someone's else house and they were smiling because of it.