I Came Home to Find My Wife

I told only one person. Mark, my best friend since we were 12. He cried on the phone when I told him and said: “You’re going to have to be strong now, man. You’ve always been stronger than you think.”

I believed him without reservation.

At a small market near the airport, I found two hand-knitted sweaters in yellow, because my mother had written to say she was decorating the nursery in yellow. Then I bought white flowers from a roadside stall because white had always been Mara’s favorite.

I didn’t call ahead. I wanted to surprise my wife.

I imagined the door opening. Her face. The girls. God… I was so excited.