A woman wakes up in the middle of the night and notices her husband isn’t in bed. She slips on her robe and heads downstairs to investigate. She finds him sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the wall, cradling a mug of coffee like it holds the secrets of the universe.
A single tear rolls down his cheek. Concerned, she asks softly, “Honey… why are you sitting down here at three in the morning?” He sighs deeply and says, “Do you remember 20 years ago when we were dating… and you were only 16?” “Yes,” she says cautiously.
“And do you remember when your father caught us in the back seat of my car?” She winces. “Yes… I remember.” “And do you remember when he shoved a double-barrel shotgun in my face and said, ‘Either you marry my daughter or I’ll send you to jail for 20 years’?” She nods. “Yes, dear. I remember all of it.”
He wipes away another tear, takes a long sip of coffee, stares into the distance, and says:
“…I’d be getting out today.”