The Gift

She sat at the table in their spacious kitchen, anticipating his arrival home. He was never late; she expected him to come bounding through the door at any moment, full of his infectious enthusiasm.

The last few years had presented some challenges, but now she had the solution. A gift he had longed for and she could finally give him, even if her approach was unusual.

He was on his drive home from work. A mostly uneventful day, apart from an appointment out of the office during his lunch break. It was the follow up to an earlier session, but now he had the answer he had expected.

The clock ticked silently on the wall — her attention entirely focused on the hands indicating his approaching arrival. How would he react? Had she done the right thing? How dare she even question herself. He would be ecstatic.

Any other person would find the forty-minute drive monotonous but, as ever, his effervescent personality refused to cast a shadow. He rehearsed in his head what his opening line would be. He figured it would be best to let her know as soon as he arrived. "Get it over with", he thought.

She heard the car pull into their short driveway. Her heart fluttered with anticipation. The thud of the car door; the rattle of the front-door handle; his charming 'Hello, only me' erupted down the hall, into the kitchen. She stood from her perch, eager to share.

He approached, and she received his evening kiss. Her hand, clasped, moved forward and opened, presenting him with the gift.

He looked at the pen. It had one single word shouting out a positive message. He gasped inside and looked her in the eye.

"I've had some tests at the doctors and today the results confirmed I am firing blanks. My swimmers are completely dead".

It was her time to gasp, but aloud.

As the tears trickled down his face, he could say nothing. He had many questions on how the gift was possible!

scenes