As I Stand Here Ironing

By Valerie Hockert

What if the ordinary domestic chores of today hold the secret history of a fracturing marriage?

Tina is standing in her laundry room, moving an iron across a linen pair of capris. As she struggles to force the stubborn wrinkles out of the fabric, a simple question crosses her mind: What ever happened to perma-press? What begins as a minor domestic frustration triggers a profound psychological journey through the history of textiles-from vintage wrinkle-free materials to the natural fibers of today, tracking how clothing has grown more complex just when everyday life should be getting simpler.

But Tina isn't just smoothing out fabric; she is attempting to iron out the creases of her own reality.

As she shifts to pressing her husband's crisp dress shirts, she begins to question the rigid architecture of his life. Why is he so steadfastly dedicated to wearing a formal business suit, dress shirt, and tie within his high-stress stockbroking business? She reflects on his clean-cut, demanding personality-how everything in his world must remain in absolute, pristine order, and how it drives him completely crazy when things slip out of alignment.

The domestic meditation takes a sharp, nostalgic turn as Tina irons the elegant dress she wore to a high-society party with her husband.

Bathed in the memories of the effortless, passionate times they used to share, she is forced to confront the chilling, unspoken distance that has steadily grown between them. Written with the exquisite detail of a literary fiction memoir, "As I Stand Here Ironing" explores how easily a shared life can slide out of focus.

Buy your copy today to experience a quiet, deeply suspenseful, and emotionally rich exploration of intimacy, routine, and domestic truth.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1503149242
• ISBN13: 9781503149243
• Release Date: November 2014
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 88 Pages
• Weight: 0.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.3" x 8.0"