by D Server

Created on: June 29, 2009   Last Updated: June 30, 2009

"What time is it?" Andrew asked his wife Rachel as the alarm clock went off. "Five o'clock," she told him. They both began to wake up.

"You know you're still hogging the blanket," Rachel said in an annoyed tone. "Sorry" was all Andrew could say.

"Never mind." They had been apart for about for a month, but had just reconciled the night before. That was a surprise, at least to Andrew. He was expecting to be asked to move out. But apparently that wasn't what Rachel wanted. And it was fine with him, too.

"I know most of you get the weekend off, but I've got to go to the hospital in a little while, make a few rounds," Andrew said.

"I know," Rachel answered. "That's why I set the alarm."

Andrew continued to complain. "Work on Saturday, work on Sunday. Oh yea, and Monday through Friday, too." They both sat up.

"Maybe I can stop working and we can live on your salary for awhile," Andrew said, probably not seriously.

"Well, we'd have to sell the house," Rachel told him. "And the cars. And Elizabeth would have to go to a community college." Their daughter was six years old.

"There's some good community colleges."

"I understand, but the idea was we were saving so she could go to any college she wanted."

Andrew sat up with a shrug. "So you're saying I have to keep working."

"Yes," Rachel replied, slightly annoyed. "You ought to appreciate what you do. You're a highly skilled professional."

"Oh, almost anyone can be a doctor," Andrew said. "You just have to be reasonably intelligent. And willing to go several hundred thousand dollars into debt before you start."

"I was going to say, you need about five more years to pay off your student loans."

"I'll be all right if you talk to me. The pressures at the hospital are too much if I don't have you to talk to."

Rachel thought for a moment. "Well I'll talk to you if you behave yourself."

"I'll behave myself if you don''t try to murder me. Or execute me." There had been an unfortunately violent confrontation, not the first between the two. The violence was all from Rachel's end. She couldn't quite control her temper when Andrew got her very mad. Andrew knew it was a serious problem, but preferred to pretend it might go away.

"Can I just make one suggestion?" Rachel asked. "Maybe we stop hurting each other for awhile? Like the next thirty years? Maybe forty years?" She thought for a second. "I guess it'll only be thirty if you don't quit smoking."

Andrew thought for a bit. "I guess I have some bad habits," he said.

"Yes, you do," was Rachel's reply.

And on they went with their marriage.

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