佚名/Anonymous
One rainy November morning I had about all I could take.I knew if I didnt leave the house soon I would unleash a storm of anger on my husband,A.K.
“Im taking you to work.”A.K.said.l struggled into my jacket,and then grabbed my satchel and lesson plans.“Ive been driving that route for many years.I can drive it now.”
“I said Im taking you to work.”He reached for his boots.
I looked at the stacks of newspaper,the dirty dishes still on the table.“Dont you have enough to do?I can take care of myself.”l stalked out,not even kissing him good-bye.
“Dont take the shortcut,Donna!”He shouted after me.
A heart attack that past spring forced my husband to leave his job.l was in the middle of my twenty-second year teaching high school seniors,while A.K.stayed home and took over the household chores.
The new arrangement was a disaster.Exhausted after a day of dealing with faculty meetings and students,all I wanted was a hot home cooked meal and a good nights sleep.
A microwave package greeted me at the table.
One night,I was horrified to discover A.K.had turned our white sheets a suspiciously denimlike shade of blue.
“l found out how to save on water,soap and electricity.”A.K.announced triumphantly.“Just wash everything together.”
During the months that followed,his cooking somehow managed to get worse.At least I cooked us balanced meals,I wanted to say.But then I would remember the time A.K.had eaten every beet and complimented the dinner,though I discovered later how he detested the sight of beets.So I wouldnt say anything to him.
As for as I was concerned,things couldnt get much worse.So that rainy morning when I found a now-blue half-slip stuffed in a dresser drawer,I could only grit my teeth,l had it!
Lord,cant you help him with just the basics of taking care of us?I stormed out of the house.
Ten minutes later,ignoring A.K.s warning about taking the shortcut in bad weather,I turned off the main route.