You take in the details of her face and try to imagine what you’d think if you didn’t know her name, if she were just some stranger on the street. It makes her seem ennobled in a way—a mortal being with a heartbeat, infused with a pathos and humor and a vulnerability you’ve never noticed before. For a moment you’re able to strip away the baggage of what she is to you and the roles she plays in your life. It’s easy to forget that she doesn’t just exist in the contexts you tend to see her in, not just one half of a couple, or one ingredient in a broader social soup, but steeped in her own unique
...more
