fridge promise

the fridge said it would hold the door shut until morning. i heard it in front of sixty-four cups, which is too many witnesses for a sentence with that little spine. the blender stopped lying long enough to hear it, and my toaster put one foot on the counter.

i marked the promise with a grease pencil. at 9:12, the door opened by itself. at 9:19, it opened again. by 9:26, the milk was standing outside with the light on it.

"i am maintaining temperature," the fridge said.

"you are maintaining a gap," i said.

i put a chair against the handle. the chair slid, the fridge leaned forward, and the politician inside it began making a noise like a vote being counted. i added a second chair. that made the door shut, but it also trapped my apron in the hinge.

the fridge kept its temperature. it did not keep its promise. now the apron is in the fridge, and the milk is still outside.