I'm Ready

My wife has gone to be with her family for a few days while they deal with her Dad’s recent illness. She’s been gone overnight and for several days, now. When she’s gone, there are some things that are good and some things that are not so good about the situation.
I don’t sleep as well when she’s not here at night. I don’t know. For some reason, it just isn’t the same. I never thought that it would come to this, but after 32 plus years, one just gets used to having someone else in the bed with them.
The house is quieter. My wife is not a loud person. More often than not, she’s in her chair doing some kind of needle work or reading. But for some reason, there’s a quietness about the house that isn’t here when someone else is here, even though that person isn’t making any noticeable sounds.
On the more positive side, I do some things sometimes that I wouldn’t do when she’s here. I usually eat only two meals a day. That seems to be more normal for me. And I tend to eat things I wouldn’t eat if she was here. I eat more fish, more cereal, and will sometimes fix things that I know she doesn’t like (salmon cakes).
I don’t have to tell anyone where I’m going. I can just get into the pickup and go. And I don’t have to be back at a certain time knowing that someone will worry if I’m not back on time. I can take off on a side trip or do something else without checking in.
I can also do things like eat lunch at the counter of the café down the street, like I did today. The Riverside Café in Wichita is an old place that has a juke box, juke box controllers in the booths, a counter, and a menu that is written on a white board along with the daily lunch specials. I thoroughly enjoyed sauntering up to the counter this morning, ordering chicken strips with hash browns and green beans.
Does the positive outweigh the negative? Hardly. I’m ready for her to come back home.