Single Life (for a few days)

My husband is out of town visiting his parents for a few days and I am reveling in the single life. Let’s be clear: I love my husband dearly. We have been married for almost thirty-six years and I would marry him all over again. However, since he has to be gone, I might as well make the most of it. What do I plan to do, you ask?

I’m going to eat all the garlicky food I can cram into five days. Ever since my husband had Covid at the beginning of the pandemic he has been unable to tolerate the smell or taste of garlic. I am sure we can all agree this is a tragedy. Tonight my daughter made chicken linguine in a garlic-lemon sauce. It was delicious and the whole house smells of garlic.

I’m going to sprawl across the whole bed, leave the light on until the wee hours, and go to bed and get up whenever I want. There is no need to be considerate of anyone else’s sleep style.

Today I read my book all morning, took a nap this afternoon, and cooked with my daughter this evening. Could I have done all those things if my husband were home? Of course. But, again, I didn’t need to consider anyone else. (Maybe I am just a selfish person who doesn’t like considering other people?)

I am going to leave the air conditioning on all the time, never shut the lights off, and leave all the fans running. I will also take very long showers with no regard for the water bill. (I probably won’t do these things but I could if I wanted to!)

I’m not going to go for any walks in the heat. I hate the heat and my husband loves it. Sometimes I walk when I don’t want to because it makes him happy. I will, however, consider going kayaking.

Daily trips to Goodwill? Does anyone see a problem with that? I missed today. Maybe two Goodwills tomorrow?

I am not going to listen to the news. I hate TV news and my husband likes to watch it most evenings. For a few nights, I am going to simply read my book in silence in the evening.

I’m going to text him off and on all day, talk to him every evening, and simultaneously enjoy the peace and quiet while missing him. Marriage: a mass of contradictions.