His call

You don't marry someone you can live with - you marry the person who you cannot live without.
- unknown

It was to be my first night alone in the new house. He was attending a seminar and, as it was some distance away, he would not be returning home in the evenings. Remembering all too well the anxiety I'd suffered during his last seminar, I was determined to relax and enjoy the solitude. I would treat myself to dinner and a movie. After work I popped into the market and purchased the ingredients for a new recipe I'd been meaning to try. After dinner I would watch one of the DVDs he'd given me the day before. He knew that I was dreading the time alone and the movies would be a welcome distraction. He was thoughtful that way.

As I walked into the kitchen, groceries in hand, I looked at the clock and wondered how long it would be before he called. Sighing, I placed the groceries on the counter and decided a martini was called for. I'd put the groceries away, relax for a bit, enjoy my cocktail then start dinner. Martini in hand and Lucy, as always, at my side, I sank into the sofa and opened the magazine I'd purchased at the market. Feeling at ease and confident that I could weather the time alone, I began flipping through the pages looking for the cover story.

An hour later, however, he still hadn't called and the anxiety was beginning to settle in. As is my practice when I'm anxious and alone, I began to to inventory my symptoms. Would I be sufferring a neurodegenerative disease or cancer this evening? Only time would tell. He'd forgotten to charge the battery on his cell phone, of course, but had given me the telephone number to his room at the institute. I'd written it down at work, however, and had forgotten to take it with me at the end of the day. Annoyed that I'd forgotten the number, I turned on the television and began watching the nightly entertainment news. I probably wouldn't have called him anyway, I reasoned, as I had no desire to add "needy" to my lengthy list of shortcomings. My desire to make dinner quickly dissapating, I mixed another martini and returned to the sofa.

Two long, lonely hours later he called.

Two hours after that, he called again to say good night.

I began to feel better. A martini, or two, and his telephone call... that was all I needed to get me through the night. I decided to go to bed. I'd do dinner and a movie tomorrow night, maybe.