Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

Amor Vincit Omnia

"*WHOOP! WHOOP!* WARNING, WARNING, IT'S THE WIFE! *WHOOP! WHOOP!* WARNING, WARNING, IT'S THE WIFE!"

I chuckle as I pull the vibrating cell phone from the case on my left hip. Best ringtone, ever!

I slide the green 'Answer' button across the screen and place the phone to my ear. "Hello, my love!"

"Hi!" she responds. Hmm, she took a two letter word and made it into a two syllable word, that's a good sign! I love my wife, but as any married man will tell you (maybe secretly, though) if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy! And we want momma to be happy!

"How was your day?" she asks.
"Just loverly! And yours?"
"Busy, but I like that. So, what do you want for supper?"
"Do you mean, what do I want for supper that we have at the house, or what do I WANT for supper?"

She chuckles as we once again play this game. "I know what I want for supper."

Both of us answer in unison, "Chinese!"

It is moments like this that make me remember the things that I love about my wife. Having been together for nearly twenty-one years, nineteen as husband and wife, and an additional two dating, it's easy to get into a routine, a rut that becomes boring. There had been a time when we had wondered if this would have all ended.

As with any relationship, there have been difficult times. I find myself reflecting back on them rather- unfortunately- frequently. I remember the arguments, the tears, the frustration, the anger. I remember the day that we told the kids that mommy and daddy couldn't do this anymore. As long as I life, I never, ever, want to see that look on my kids' faces again.

Somehow, something changed. We realized that instead of fighting against each other, we should be fighting for each other, and for our kids. I won't lie, it wasn't easy. It still isn't.

Looking back now, it seems so hard to believe that just a few short years ago we were in that horrible place. When I look back now, I don't see what might have been, but rather I see a place I never want to return to, a place that leaves me hollow and dead.

I talked to a friend of mine recently who was upset that she and her husband were arguing more than what she would have liked. She wondered if that meant that their marriage was "on the rocks". She asked what I thought. I told her that a true marriage is not based on whether you fight or not, but on whether you are able to work through the fight, to say, "I'm sorry," and to find that love again.

In Latin, we learned a phrase: Amor Vincit Omnia. Love conquers all.

I barely hear my wife until she says, "I'll see you at home. Love you."

I smile, my heart pounding, "I love you, too."

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