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Have your story published! Here���s how to enter our Short Story Competition: Entries need to have a maximum of 1200 words and will be selected based on their interest and professional standard. three beautiful children, or had she? Perhaps each child nicely timed to entice him away from the other women in his life, the first just six months into their marriage. By the time their third child arrived he seemed to have matured and appeared more committed, or had she mistaken that for feelings of being trapped and stuck with escape seemingly blocked. They did appear to settle into an existence that seemed to suit them both. Tanya busy with three small children and enjoying the role of stay at home mum with no grand plans, no wanting to make her mark on the world. He had summarised his feelings into the fact that he was something of a meal ticket for her, something he came to be resentful of. As their children grew, he adjusted by working longer and longer hours. They might be his family, but he felt distant and unwanted by her, although he loved his children and adored the role of father, embracing it as fully as he felt able to alongside a wife who showed no inkling to do the same. She suspected he was up to his old ways, but unlike before, this time she had no proof, no reason, just a horrible gut feeling. While trying to work out how to manage him this time around, she was thrown. For years now, he seemed to have toed the line being the good and attentive family man. There may have been some short lived flings, but she felt certain there was nothing more, until now. He was changing; she could sense it. There was something in his demeanour, he was more relaxed than she had seen him in a long time, he seemed to be smiling more and there was something else, something that she just could not put her finger on. She felt torn. Was it time to let him go if that was what he wanted? Was he really hers to keep, especially if his heart was no longer in it as she suspected? She knew deep down that all he ever really wanted was to trade in his life for something new. He was feeling it too, feeling that soon at last he could be free of the shackles of his marriage that had kept him down at heel for so many years. He recognised the changes within himself and fully understood it exactly for what it was. He was simply ready to be in love again and he was, completely and utterly in love. He felt it from tip to toe and it showed. He was sure. It was now, it was here and it was his time. He had stayed in a marriage only entered by trickery and long endured it for his children, but no more. He left the carefully written note to his wife in the lounge propped up on the coffee table, next to a vase of her favourite flowers. Karen Bradley ABOUT THE AUTHOR Karen enjoys writing short stories, something she recently returned to after not writing for many years. Entries are to be emailed to: hermag@strettonpublishing.co.nz Subject line: Short Story Competition Terms and Conditions: Entries to have a maximum of 1200 words, submitted in double spacing, including a short biography of the writer. Entries close the 20th of each month. Each entry must be the author���s original work and must not have been published before. The winner each month will be notified prior to publication, which will be at the editor���s discretion. Her Magazine retains first publication rights for all winning entries for a period of six months. Entries from the previous month cannot be resubmitted for following months��� competitions ��� i.e. entries can be submitted only once. Each entry must be original and must be submitted by the author. The judges��� decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. Submission of each entry constitutes acceptance by the submitter of the competition���s terms and conditions of entry. www. hermagazine.co.nz www.h e rmagaz in e .co.n z | 117