SHE SUSPECTS

They had been married twenty- four years and their relationship,
like so many others, had become one of a brother and sister quality.
Still friends, barely, they co-existed for the sake of the girls.

There were few arguments at home, as he just nodded his head one way or
another in every discussion. Being occupied with his career was a smoke
screen. He just wasn't interested in what she had to say, unless it was
about the children.

Out of the house every morning to jog at 5:00AM, then off to work and
at his desk by 7:00 with twelve hours ahead of him, it left little time
with his family. He would escape to his office on Saturdays when he
could get away with it and spent Sundays with his nose in a book or his
eyes fixed on the television. With his "yes" and "no" responses, the
wife saw that he was drifting. She suspected he had something or
someone else on his mind, but she was secure in the fact that he would
never leave, not because of her, but because of their children. She
knew her fixed income would stay in tact and that he could be
tolerated, as long as he didn't make waves and showed up when
necessary. Drive her here, drive them there, her escort for life.
Family outings were kept to a minimum. On his one day off, he wanted
peace and quiet, not trips on the road, crammed in a car with chatter
and complaints.

He tried having an affair, but there was no time for a mistress. It
wasn't extramarital sex he wanted, he was used to not have any sex at
all. What he really wanted was a friend, just someone to listen to him,
lighten up his day with some bantering conversation. There was no time
for more than that.

In the end he aged to eighty, looking back regretting that he did not
take a juicy bite out of life. The girls were grown and gone. There
were just the two of them.

He and his wife lived silently, while she suspected he had regrets.