My Husband's Leaving Me

Well, he's leaving, but he'll be back. He's just going to Minnesota on business for four days. He leaves early in the morning, so on one hand, I'm a little frantic about making preparations. I need to get to Target for laundry detergent and meringue cookies. I'd like to go to the video store to rent DVDs. We probably need more milk.

And I hate to take the children shopping. I can't think while they are careening around the store and bombarding me with questions. And it always costs me more when they come along because I am a pushover in the grocery store.

Anyway.

The irrational thing is that I always imagine I will start and finish some type of enormous project while my husband's away. This time, I've settled on painting. My entryway and hallway need to be painted. Why not paint while I am outnumbered four-to-one by children? Why not paint while I am the sole adult in charge? Why not, indeed?

The only thing standing between me and progress is this little book, The Secret Life of Bees. I'm not sure I can let latex paint and my green, soon-to-be orange-gold, entryway come between me and this fiction.

As for my husband, he'll miss us, about as much as he'd miss having a rock in his shoe.