Home Early

I jumped and dropped my paint brush when I heard the front door slam shut. My nerves were immediately settled when I heard the familiar voice of my husband. “I’m home!” My painting could wait. I smiled and made a beeline to the front door.

He wasn’t supposed to be back from his work trip till tomorrow. “You usually text me when you’re getting home early,” I commented as I went in for a hug.

“I lost my phone. I’ll have to go get a new one tomorrow,” he replied.

I let out a chuckle. I was usually the one losing things in our relationship. “Sounds like I’m rubbing off on you,” I said as I grabbed his suit collar and pulled him in for a kiss. “How was your trip? Did you get the contract?”

“We’ll know sometime tomorrow,” he said, already removing his tie.   He was home early even though he wasn’t sure that his company got the contract? I waved away the thought, assuming business was just done differently in Japan.

He reached for my face and gently rubbed my cheek with his thumb. When he pulled away, he showed me the paint on his hand that he’d wiped off my face. I smirked bashfully as he put his hand under my chin and raised my face to meet his. He gave me quick kiss and said, “Want to join me for a shower, cutie?”

I let out an excited chuckle and followed him to the bathroom. Our intimate life had gotten so much more spontaneous since my husband’s vasectomy six months ago, and we had been acting like rabbits ever since.

After a very satisfying shower session, we ordered takeout and settled in for a nice night at home.

I slowly woke up the next morning and reached for his side of the bed. When I found it empty, I immediately sat up. My husband always slept in when he didn’t need to get up for work. Where was he? I hadn’t been pondering the question for long when my phone buzzed. I grabbed it from the nightstand.

It was a text from my husband. ‘Flight was delayed. Looks like I’m going to be home a day late. Sorry, Darling. I miss you.’

I furrowed my brow. The message didn’t make any sense, I’d just spent the night with him. Didn’t I? I got out of bed and went to check the dirty clothes hamper. Even after dumping the entire thing out and sorting through it three times, I couldn’t find my husband’s suit from the night before. When I checked the garbage in the kitchen for evidence of the takeout we’d gotten, I found it completely empty. Someone had taken out the trash. I frantically searched the house for evidence that my husband had been here last night, but even the towel he’d used after our shower was clean, folded, and put away.

I felt like I was going crazy. After a lot of thought, I convinced myself that the night before had all been a vivid dream brought on by me missing my husband. I even laughed at myself a little about it.

I didn’t even think about that night again till I noticed my period was 3 months late.