How to Talk to a Widower

let simple household tasks percolate for a little bit, to do no chore before its time.

"The point is, people become possessive of their grief, almost proud of it. They want to believe it's like no one else's. But it is. It's exactly like everybody else's. Grief is like a shark. It's been around forever, and in that time there's been just about no evolution. You know why?" she said "Why?" I replied "Because it's perfect just the way it is."

There's something nice about throwing the ball with Russ, and now I understand the cliché about fathers and sons playing catch. We're together and engaged, but far enough away to say personal things without feeling exposed, and for the things we can't bring ourselves to say out loud, we have this ball to throw, and we can hear the neat smack of hard leather on soft and know the message has been delivered.