My wife is paralyzed, so I haven’t been inti:mate with her for four months. Out of deep frustration, I left her alone for ten days to go on a date with the younger sister of my colleague. And then… the unexpected happened.

the heavy silence I remembered. It wasn’t the silence of pain, of medication, of cautious sleep, or daytime television murmuring in the background. It was empty in a way that made the air itself feel wrong.

“Hannah?” I called, dropping my bag in the hallway without realizing it. My voice cracked against the walls and came back to me sounding smaller.continue reading …