Best time of day

God, what next?

A bullied child in Tigard took his own life. A deranged man bought a border collie puppy, took it home, got drunk, and stabbed it to death with a kitchen knife. Another boy's been missing for two-and-a-half years. They're posting age-advanced likenesses on trucks in Oregon and Washington. All of this was on the local news.

Even in our own little world, Maty's and mine, uncertainty and apprehension loom. She's been under the weather and I've been worried. When I'm worried, I'm surly and impatient --sometimes even cruel. There has been too much snarling and snapping at our house lately. All of it mine.

Maty was home from work today. When I got there she was wrapped in a blanket on the couch watching Lifetime Channel movies. The laundry was running in the basement and the house was warm and clean. When she saw me, her face brightened despite my sour expression.

"Let's look for my ticket," she said.

So, I grabbed the laptop and sat down next to her. Together, we poked around for a deal on airfare to Dakar, where Maty is going this summer. Then I showed her some photos from yesterday when I had birthday breakfast with my family.

Then we talked about my upcoming trip to China and her's to Senegal. We sat close; she put her head against my shoulder and watched while I googled. We could hear the slap of the rain on the sidewalk.

Soon enough, I felt like an ass for worrying, for losing faith. What a foolish thing to do! Of course everything will be alright. Of course we'll overcome! No matter what, we've got a lot to laugh and be happy about. We're living a marvelous tale.

That Maty. Somehow, she always gets me back there.