Foe

by Iain Reid

That’s what time does. It ushers a return to equilibrium. Unease becomes ease. A shock, no matter how potent, always wears off with time.

Life finds a way of balancing out. This is what we desire as humans—security, certainty, affirmation.

You can hold beliefs and not always believe in them.

You shape your existence through decisions, perceptions, and behavior.

What constitutes normalcy? I think if you asked fifty people, you’d get fifty different answers. There would, undoubtedly, be some congruities. But who decides what’s normal? Where does the line of regularity fall?

Beauty isn’t fleeting. Beauty is eternal. But . . . I’m not. I’m fleeting. That’s more the point.

We’re better because of each other, despite what she said. That’s what a marriage is. I should have told her that more clearly when she brought it up. We have different roles, different strengths, but we rely on each other. I can do what I do because I know she’ll always be there. We need each other.