I went out of town at 5 AM Wednesday for a half-day, 300 mile round trip. It unexpectedly grew into a one-loooong-day, 700 mile round trip. Car trouble turned it from that into a grossly annoying overnight (36-hour) trip, including a blowout, 2 tire changes, and an impromptu midnight 1-mile forced march.  I got back to my home town to find myself embroiled in multiple interlocking shit storms. 3 people with intractable emergencies assailed me before I got to the house. Once home, I was greeted with a letter conveying Very Bad News. Dear Lord!

Bedtime came, and I promptly followed my Dear Heart to our place of repose. I lay next to her and breathed deeply, drawing the scent of her into my lungs and my brain and my soul. She seemed a bit uncomfortable, so I gently rubbed her back and neck, feeling the warmth of her pure heart through the silk of her bedclothes. These grim days and all their bitter news, all the clamor of their disorder, all the acid nagging of their inhabitants, began to fade. Peace flowed from her into me. The joy of her proximity overflowed the small space between us and quenched the flames of my carefully nursed but unworthy responses to the indignities of life. Calm wafted in where ignorant rage had ruled. Slowly and gladly, I turned from a howling savage to a decent, civilized, and happy man.

There is no solace like the solace of a wife.

Well said.  Do something nice for her tomorrow.

Agreed.

If she's not around, second best is to shoot gallon milk jugs filled with water.

AW geez... no RANT??

This is ArfComm... how dare you post a happy story!  he he he

So tell us about your trip

a POSITIVE relationship-related thread on arfcom?!  i must be dreaming!!!

Great post.

It's nice to see that some men appreciate their wives.

She's cheating...

Did you hit it after you got some civilization back into you?

Well crafted.

My wife of four months just returned from a 4 day business trip. I will sleep much better with her next to me tonight.

I feel the same.  She is truly my best friend and there is nothing that matters to me more than her.

Quoted: I went out of town at 5 AM Wednesday for a half-day, 300 mile round trip. It unexpectedly grew into a one-loooong-day, 700 mile round trip. Car trouble turned it from that into a grossly annoying overnight (36-hour) trip, including a blowout, 2 tire changes, and an impromptu midnight 1-mile forced march.  I got back to my home town to find myself embroiled in multiple interlocking shit storms. 3 people with intractable emergencies assailed me before I got to the house. Once home, I was greeted with a letter conveying Very Bad News. Dear Lord! Bedtime came, and I promptly followed my Dear Heart to our place of repose. I lay next to her and breathed deeply, drawing the scent of her into my lungs and my brain and my soul. She seemed a bit uncomfortable, so I gently rubbed her back and neck, feeling the warmth of her pure heart through the silk of her bedclothes. These grim days and all their bitter news, all the clamor of their disorder, all the acid nagging of their inhabitants, began to fade. Peace flowed from her into me. The joy of her proximity overflowed the small space between us and quenched the flames of my carefully nursed but unworthy responses to the indignities of life. Calm wafted in where ignorant rage had ruled. Slowly and gladly, I turned from a howling savage to a decent, civilized, and happy man. There is no solace like the solace of a wife.

Once again I stand in awe of your literary skills.

I printed out a copy and gave it to my wife.

THE TRIP

The guy I practice law with told me Tuesday that he was supposed to go to a city ~150 miles away to meet at 9 AM Wednesday with the mother of a potential client to execute a contract and collect the retainer. He is 50+ yoa and broke some ribs last weekend and really didn't want to sit in the car. Would I make the trip? Sure, no problem. I left home at ~5AM, arriving (after a leisurely trip) a little before 9. Mom was a thoroughgoing squirrel. She told me she had left my associate a phone message canceling the appointment. Why was I there? Who was I? Why wasn't my associate there? Could I prove I was who I said I was? She had given all her money to a guy she found in the phone book. He met her son the night before. He had terrified her son and sent him into a suicidal funk. Could she give me half the money?

I put her on with my associate (who is a gifted social operator). She gave me a bank draught for 77% of the money, and a personal check for the balance. My associate called me and begged me to go see the boy (the actual client). I set out for the jail where he's kept (another ~200 miles). After a couple of hours, my eyes were rolling back in my head. I was a menace to the motoring public. I checked into a hotel and napped for about 3 hours. I pressed on, arriving at the client's jail about 8:30 PM. He was a delighful person with realistic expectations. We spoke at length and prayed together quite sincerely. He is happy we are on board to defend him.

I got back to the highway. After an hour or so, I called home and told my boy to tell my wife I would be stopping for the night. Then I stopped for food. Finding myself refreshed, I decided to press on. About 180 miles from home, I heard an odd noise - one I recognized from my young impoverished days. A tire unraveling! I dove for the emergency lane and kept my speed up. Thanks to the magic of centrifugal force, I was able to coast into a hotel parking lot at the next exit. I decided to change the tire in the daylight. Alas, inquiry disclosed that there was no room at the inn.

I went to the car, planning to change the tire and press on. I eventually located the cleverly concealed jack, removed the shredded tire, and put the "donut" in its place. The donut was nearly flat. I crept along at about a mile an hour, hoping to make the gas station (with its air pump) before disaster struck. It was not to be. The wheel's rotation against the road dismounted the donut within about 300 feet, and I limped the car back to the hotel parking lot. The clerk said that no rooms had opened up in the intervening hour, but found me a room at a "nearby" establishment. 1.2 fat, sweaty, middle-aged, foot-trod miles later, I arrived at the nearby establishment. Here I omit some insignificant details.

When I checked out of the nearby establishment, I asked the clerk to call a cab for me. An hour later, a person arrived in a battered Town Car to transport me. I explained that I wished to go to hotel #1 to get my wheel and then to the nearest tire store. I asked what had happened to his meter. He said he had none, but would provide transportation for $50 an hour.

Beggars can't be choosers, so I agreed, with the proviso that it would be $50/hr for driving time because "I'm not going to pay you $50 an hour while some illiterate tire-changer picks his nose." We debated, he sensing that I might not be a "live one," and I sensing that I might have to shoot his enormous ass and run my errands with his steaming carcass in the trunk of the Town Car. We arrived at the tire store, and he tried a final gambit. Would I pay a $50 flat fee? Having taken note of the fact that the tire store was two miles and four minutes from my car, I declined, gave him $9, looked him in the eye, and said "Thanks for your help."

The tire change was to take 90 minutes, so I called a real taxi company for a pickup 100 minutes later. The tire was changed in due course, and my cab arrived a mere 45 minutes late. I changed the tire and got on the road.

After breaching the borders of my home county, I was confronted with:

1. Dearly beloved terminal cancer patient being ejected from Hospice and unable to access 401(k);

2. Good friend being fired and in immediate need of a verbal summary of the protections afforded by the ADA and FMLA;

3. Client having an emotional meltdown and needing "to talk, man."

I mollified each in turn, some by doing actual work. I thereafter had refuge to the "help meet for me" described in the initial post.

Great example of how, "No good deed goes unpunished."

Why is that BTW?

Dude I pretty much hate you.

Quoted: Good story.  Unfortunately, without conflict, threads like this quickly fade into the back pages.

btt

Quoted: Dude I pretty much hate you.

What? No wife? Or did I drive past your tire store?

Quoted: Quoted: Dude I pretty much hate you. What? No wife? Or did I drive past your tire store?

I'm guessing he was your first Cab Driver.

Quoted: Agreed. If she's not around, second best is to shoot gallon milk jugs filled with water.

I am glad I wasn't taking a sip when I read this.  

Quoted: I went out of town at 5 AM Wednesday for a half-day, 300 mile round trip. It unexpectedly grew into a one-loooong-day, 700 mile round trip. Car trouble turned it from that into a grossly annoying overnight (36-hour) trip, including a blowout, 2 tire changes, and an impromptu midnight 1-mile forced march.  I got back to my home town to find myself embroiled in multiple interlocking shit storms. 3 people with intractable emergencies assailed me before I got to the house. Once home, I was greeted with a letter conveying Very Bad News. Dear Lord! Bedtime came, and I promptly followed my Dear Heart to our place of repose. I lay next to her and breathed deeply, drawing the scent of her into my lungs and my brain and my soul. She seemed a bit uncomfortable, so I gently rubbed her back and neck, feeling the warmth of her pure heart through the silk of her bedclothes. These grim days and all their bitter news, all the clamor of their disorder, all the acid nagging of their inhabitants, began to fade. Peace flowed from her into me. The joy of her proximity overflowed the small space between us and quenched the flames of my carefully nursed but unworthy responses to the indignities of life. Calm wafted in where ignorant rage had ruled. Slowly and gladly, I turned from a howling savage to a decent, civilized, and happy man. There is no solace like the solace of a wife.

Yeah....mine drives me crazy too.



j/k

Damn....just damn....but I am going to give that spare a thorough going over tomorrow.  Glad you made it home especially after the midnight stroll.

ETA..You should make sure your wife reads your post

I'm going to save a copy of that paragraph if you don't mind.

Mrs. Brohawk is such a blessing, far better than what I deserve (I think my first wife was what I actually deserved! ).

I can't figure out what a gem like her is doing with a doofus like me.  I just try to let her know I appreciate her.

Man, I do hope you understand how blessed you are to have a helpmate such as your wife.  The only honorable things for you to do are to recognize God's blessings in your life is to love your wife as Jesus loves the church.  You are a man who has much to offer the people with whom you come in contact.  No man can ever deserve that good a wife.  Continue to be loving in all your actions to all people.

The Bible says that a good wife is worth more than gold or precious stones.

Agreed, I have one of those too.

Good post.  I feel the same way about my wife.

Quoted: a POSITIVE relationship-related thread on arfcom?!  i must be dreaming!!!

I give it 9 months, tops.





ETA:

Quoted: We debated, he sensing that I might not be a "live one," and I sensing that I might have to shoot his enormous ass and run my errands with his steaming carcass in the trunk of the Town Car.

Great post, FLAL1A.   May God bless you both.

Quoted: Agreed. he

There is no solace like the solace of a wife.

How true!

Great thread.

And - I applaud your literary prose.  You musta gone to koleg.  

It's been my experience that your outlook on relationships when going IN to one determines the outcome.  You and yours obviously are on a great path.

I wish y'all a lifetime of those happy experiences.

CMOS

Gave her a copy of the original post. She was deeply touched. I was smart enough not to say " Well, it's just the facts. Nothing to get excited about." I guess we do get wiser with age.

Good for you.

A good wife is a gift from God.

May He continue to Bless both of you.