Have you ever been in a conversation with your significant other and you can’t get a word in edgewise? They are talking so fast, you just want them to take a breath in order to give you a chance to speak. Being married for over 17 years, I must admit, there’ve been a few times I wished that The Wife would stop talking so I could.
Be careful what you wish for. It may just come true.
Last Friday The Wife startled me by walking through the door around 6 in the afternoon. It’s the usual time she gets home from work, but she always calls when leaving the office. When I asked why she hadn’t called, she couldn’t answer. Seems around noon she had lost her voice.
Being the caring husband that I am, I quickly grabbed the car keys and said, “C’mon, let’s go back to the office. Together I bet we can find it.” For my caring comment, I received a loving punch in the arm.
For those out there thinking how wonderful it would be if their significant other lost their voice, turns out it isn’t as wonderful as you may think.
For three days The Wife couldn’t say anything. Not a word, just a small squeak on the first day. Our two cats purring were louder than she was. They heard the squeak, but ignored it.
But I digress. This story isn’t about Yours Truly chasing down a field mouse in our house while our worthless cats sat back and watched the show. This story is about finding a lost voice.
On the first day of non-speak: I must admit, there were some advantages. When I asked if I could watch the three-hour special on the upcoming presidential debate, I took her non-answer squeaks and smile as, “Of course you can, Dear.” And I heard no objections to my suggestion of chocolate cake and leftover pizza for dinner. When I booked our three-day vacation to the beach, she didn’t say, “We can’t afford it” or, “We shouldn’t go.” Then again, she never says those things when we book a vacation. But there was one thing really sad that happened that day.
It was the first day in our 17-year marriage that ended without The Wife saying, “I love you.”
On the second day of non-speak: After asking the same question three times from another room, I thought my hearing was getting worse. Then I realized it was my memory. No matter how many questions I asked, The Wife still couldn’t answer. Even her squeak from the day before was gone. A quick e-mail to the online doctor and multiple prescriptions were on their way to our local pharmacy. When asked if she would like me to pick them up she nodded. I said, “Will you stop yelling at me?” Yes, I know, it wasn’t funny. But she still smiled.
By bedtime The Wife still couldn’t speak. It was the second day ending without her saying, “I love you.”
On the third and final day of non-speak: In the morning, the squeak had returned, causing our lazy cats to leave their sunbeams in search of their four-legged play toy. The “Will you stop yelling at me” comment still wasn’t funny. Communication had successfully been reestablished by texting each other. “No, leftover pizza isn’t a good idea for dinner two nights in a row. I would like steak tonight – with chocolate cake.” Another text, “No political shows tonight, please.”
Our two granddaughters didn’t understand why their Gigi didn’t feel good and hadn’t spoken to them for days. They became very worried. I entertained them by saying she had lost her voice and could they help look for it? We spent the entire day searching the play park, Twin Lakes, woods, the library, and even the sandbox in the backyard — all without success.
By bedtime The Wife was feeling better. But it was the third day that ended without her saying, “I love you.” Before drifting off to sleep, I prayed again for her recovery and her lost voice to return.
We awoke the next morning to the pitter-patter of little feet running on the floor above us. I smiled, knowing our granddaughters had awakened, recharged, and were ready for another day of fun with their Big Papa and Gigi. That day we were going to the zoo.
I gave The Wife a kiss and said that I wished she had her voice back. I really missed talking to her. Besides, the girls needed to spend the time at the zoo looking at the animals and not looking for her voice.
The Wife smiled, gave me a kiss and said, “I love you.”
[Rick Ryckeley has been writing stories since 2001. To read more of Rick’s stories, visit his blog: storiesbyrick.wordpress.com.]
