Tails

He hesitated after hearing the question. It was always a gamble: to tell the truth, or exaggerate? The weight of reality overwhelmed him, and he needed to release it.

“My toddler flooded his first floor bathroom and bedroom a couple months ago. So we’ve been dealing with that.—Yeah, it’s been a nightmare.—My wife’s actually very excited to remodel the house. I guess it’s good to see the silver lining. But you don’t want to spend a holiday weekend remodeling.”

As he said it there remained in the back of his mind a suspicion that his wife had been hiding some fact from him. It’s true, he received the call from her when the flood happened. The water removal company came with their pumps and fans and tarps. He remembered the mildewy smell coming back from the hotel, and hearing the roar of the fans. It took days before the house felt fresh again.

And his wife had been so quick with the renovations. Types of wood floors and wainscoting developed for what seemed like pre-planned opulence. 

It was ridiculous to suspect her, he thought. The renovations he could afford, and he, too, anticipated the renewal, despite the headache of turning the home into a worksite temporarily.

No. 117