Last night, I was doing my OTS thing that I just started. My wife said she needed to work upstairs so I, ever the opportunist, went to the basement to watch a movie (Terminator, Arne’s the man!) while I hang. I assumed that I would have plenty of time to hear and react, cover the evidence you know, the cowards way out…
So the movie is playing and I have the volume somewhat down so I can hear what’s happening upstairs. Well, I’m officially hard of hearing and wear hearing aids. I’m extremely functional even without them if someone is “in my face” for communicating-not the negative kind, just full-face attention. This leads to a false sense of security.
In walks my wife, who sees well but she notoriously doesn’t notice anything. I’m now scrambling to pull a blanket/pillow over my exposed parts and the Terminator is blasting everything in sight. My wife says, “Do you want some watermelon?” “Sure honey, I’ll be right up”, I reply. She says “How was your day, are you enjoying the movie, I’m working hard, heard from our daughter today, the car needs gas, when are you going to mow the grass, pull weeds, etc.” … for 5 minutes she does this. Eternity!
I’m frantic by now, amazed that she hasn’t seen this red bungee draped over the sofa with the bundle of hand weights tied to the end of it, begging to be spotted. I’m steeling myself, ready to be exposed at any second, the impending doom syndrome (“but honey, you’re fine the way you are”-I know that’s what she’ll say), and am slowly steadily unhooking, unscrewing, unwrapping, massaging, tucking back in breathing sweating freaking.
“Why don’t you cut up the watermelon and I’ll come back down to eat it” and with that, she turns around and walks back upstairs, never once glancing at the bungee.
Virtue, as they say, is it’s own reward.