My eye was all bloodshot and the bruising around it was dark black and blue. I was so mad at my wife. How was I going to explain this very black and swollen eye to everyone in the coming week? I think my wife was a little shocked when she saw what she had done. However, she didn't say anything and we stayed clear of each other for most of the day. In evening I was watching a football when my wife came in the room dressed rather provacatively and with her red lipstick on. She sat down next to me. I tried to ignore her and watch the gave, but then she started kissing my face. I kept trying to hold on to my anger but she was wearing me down. After a couple of minutes, I took a glance at our reflection in a mirrow on the wall. She looked at the mirror the same time and our eyes met. I probably had a dozen large lip prints all over my checks, forehead, neck, everywhere except close to the black eye. (It was real sore.) We both broke up laughing. Then we started laughing about the whole situation, the badmitten game, the arguement, and the black eye. She went and got her camera and set up a timed picture of us embracing - me with my black eye and covered with lipstick kisses. She had it framed and used to show it to her friends and tell them the story behind it. Funny thing, neither of us could remember what I had said before she knocked my lights out. While telling the story, she used to say; "we can't remember what he said, but whatever it was, he knows better than to say it again".
We didn't over-indulge ourselves with alcohol very much after that. I learned not to say hurtful or damaging things when we argued. Also, I worked at overcoming my fragile male ego. Fact was, she was a better athlete than I and regularly beat me in tennis, badmitten, volleyball, ping pong... you name it. She even beat me a few times armwrestling. I didn't mind so much, as long as it was just between us. She came to realize that she had a hot temper and worked to mellow out some. I loved that woman.
I lost my her to breast cancer after 13 years of marriage. I sure to miss her.
