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The Empty Chair That Revealed Something About My Marriage
I didn’t realize how much of her was in the room until she wasn’t.
Last Thursday evening, my wife was not at home. Now, there was actually nothing unusual about this absence. We had not argued or had any tension of any kind. It was simply one of those ordinary evenings where two people just go different directions.
So, I settled into the living room as I normally would, expecting little more than a routine evening of reading and, of course, some distraction.
At first, nothing felt out of place, but as I sat there, I became increasingly aware of a particular empty chair. Her chair. I imagine in every home, over time, certain spaces become associated with certain people.
She always sits there when we watch television. It is also where she places her coffee mug on the weekends and where she often sits while sharing thoughts about her day. I had seen that chair countless times before without giving it any particular attention, but that evening it seemed impossible to ignore.
It wasn’t the loneliness, you understand; it was just this benign change in the atmosphere of the room: it felt different in a less full sort of way. And because I can’t really point to a single missing event or conversation, I am…
