October 5, 2018
“She left me today.” How many times have those words been slurred across a bar by a bleary-eyed man commiserating with no one in particular? The stories are as varied as they are similar, different actors, same script. Unfaithfulness, busyness, money, alcohol, drugs—the reasons are many, the results the same. Finally, she had had enough, and decided that it was time to walk out the door.
I whispered those words to myself this morning, but they had a different ring to them. Linda-who-doesn’t-like-to-ride climbed in the passenger side of her friend Kelly’s SUV and the two of them headed to Boston for the weekend. She will be back, and we’ve already exchanged notes and talked on the phone.
Last night, I literally clung to the edge of the bed as she snuggled close in her sleep. Tonight, on my pillow was a note, ending with, “Just think: you get the WHOLE bed to yourself tonight.” Yes, I do, but I’d gladly cling again to that sliver of bed to have her by my side. I am grateful tonight that her leaving is no reflection on our marriage, except perhaps that it is strong enough to take in stride temporary separations. I am grateful too, that after forty-eight years, in just a few days, my “She left me today” will be replaced by her “I’m home!”
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