The Husband

by Joseph Mills He comes every day to eat lunch and sit with her in the sun room. Sometimes he reads letters out loud from their children or friends; sometimes he reads the paper as she sleeps. One day the staff makes her favorite cake to celebrate their anniversary, and he tells how, to buy her ring, he worked months of overtime at the factory, so she thought he was seeing someone else. "As if I would look at other women when I have Pearl," he says, shaking his head. She begins to cry and tells him, "You're sweet, but I miss my husband." He pats her hand. "I know," he says, "It's all right. Try some cake."