Left Behind

Trey Smith

When someone comes for a visit -- even if that someone is your spouse who must be temporarily away -- part of them remains even after they've left. You might call it their aura or energy. Maybe it's little more than the immediate memory of their presence. In the present case, however, it is something far more substantive than that. What Della left behind were germs!

You see, in the week leading up to her weekend visit home, she didn't sound so good. Every phone conversation was punctuated with much sneezing, coughing and hoarseness of voice. As the week progressed towards Friday, I suggested that maybe she should remain in White Salmon to nurse her cold and come home the subsequent week. She assured me that she sounded far worse than she felt, but that turned out to be what we call a white lie.

Upon her arrival on Friday night, it became quite clear they she felt as poorly as she sounded. She begged me not to be cross with her because she said she missed home so much that she was bound and determined to make it back here, no matter how crummy she felt. It is a real bummer to be sick and have no one around to take care of you. Being a loving husband, I understood where she was coming from and so I wasn't cross, but I wasn't particularly happy either.

Why am I not happy? Because chances are good that I will catch her cold -- my sinuses are clogging up and my throat is getting scratchy as I write this -- and I will be here alone with no one to take care of me!

On the other hand, if you can't share your germs with the person or people who love you the most, who can you share them with?

In the end, I AM glad Della came home, cold and all. We spent a lot of time together which is something I have dearly missed. She's due to return in 2 or 3 weeks for a 3 day visit during her school's Spring Break. So, if all goes as planned, I won't have to miss my beloved for that long a time...until she troops off to White Salmon again.