Steps - Day 5

Step 5 is the final step
Where all realities
Come together,
Merge and

fade

Late again. She was always late. But now she doesn’t rush. She had decided there was no real reason to rush anymore. In fact, she decided to sit back down and finish enjoying her morning coffee.

“Aren’t you late for your hair appointment, Barbara?”

“I guess I am, but I’m just enjoying being here with you Howard.”

Howard smiled and continued reading the newspaper. He again reflected on how two small words can change a person’s life so much.

Howard was not nearly as unobservant as Barbara thought he was. That night, he could tell that Barbara had done something. Her entire demeanor was different. She wouldn’t look at him, and her normally pale face was flush. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew it was something she didn’t want him to know, since she didn’t blather on about it for 20 minutes. The fact that she was silent was all he needed to notice that she had done something bad.

He didn’t confront her directly. She would just rattle on and on and he would finally give up. No, he had waited.

After supper, once they had both gotten into their computers, he sent a simple email to Barbara of two words:

I KNOW

They never talked about it. He never found out exactly what she did. From the huge change in her attitude towards him, it must have been really bad. But he didn’t really need to know. He was happy with the result.

“Can you pick me up a bottle of that Sharkie shampoo from your hair dresser while you are there?”

“I’d love to, but I am going to a new shop. I’ll check when I’m there to see if they sell it there also.”

Howard wondered about the change in shops. She had gone to the same place for years. He wondered, for just a second, if this change had anything to do with what she did that fateful day. He quickly let it go and turned to the Sports section.

“Want to go to the ball game with me this weekend?” he asked.

“Sure. That would be great,” she eagerly answered.

Howard smiled and thought life was great.