By Popular Demand

...I guess some folks missed me.

It's hard to generate news when you're busy being domestic. The big accomplishment lately has been the pair of us learning to barbeque, which isn't exactly breaking news. I also find I'm not comically inspired when I'm not mildly pissed off. Go figure.

We did have a 'moment' yesterday.

I got an email at work that my department is recruiting for the rebuilding effort in Afghanistan. I love a challenge, and I have traveled quite a lot in Muslim countries, and loved every minute of it. I looked up the death toll for foreign civilians, and the year-by-year rate was about the same as for the highway I commute to work on every day. I have to admit, I was interested.

I forwarded the email to T, thinking we could discuss it when I got home.

I arrived to T's level stare. "A year in Afghanistan, huh?"

Uh-oh.

I am not quite sure what reaction I had expected, but it certainly wasn't what I got. T is quite guarded with his emotions, and I guess I had him pegged as an uber-independent type. I guess I was wrong.

He stormed off to shower, not even really looking at me.

Eventually it all came out that he feels happy and stable for the first time in forever. He felt like that would be abandonment. He knew how interested I would be, and was frustrated with the situation, because he felt that expressing himself would be tantamount to holding me back.

I finally got across to him that I was just opening a discussion, and had not made up my mind.

In the end, he said he hadn't realised how important I had become to him, and felt really shaken by his own emotions.

Today, I came home to a bouquet of hand-picked field daisies, tucked into a pop bottle on the table.

I guess I'll be staying home...