In Due Time

She had a profession when she met him.
She had been an Army brat, so in practical
terms she had a fairly good idea that some
people were misfits in society. Not social
deviants of course but unable to 'fit in', as
she did, with her generous smile and easy
manner, yet something she could hardly
define attracted her to him. Their daughter
a social butterfly like her mother, left home
soon as she could. Their son, inclined to
silence and as entitled in  his demands as
his father finds it convenient to live at home.
She confided to a friend how conflicted she
was about her husband's retirement. On the
one hand she would no longer have to do 
all those household chores normally done
by menfolk; retired he could take that helm.
On the other his constant presence would
stultify her freedom beyond the accustomed
denials forbidding her to embark on any
initiative without consulting him. But he
is now retired and by all exterior measures
all is calm. Her devotion to her garden has
fallen by the wayside, their home front has
the appearance of neglect. She spends her
days fairly confined to its interior alongside
him. They have no pets, so when he is
truly irked with her he cannot provoke her
by ill-treating an animal. Running the 
power mower directly through the neglect
resistant gardens effectively denies her the
pleasure of celebrating seasonal blooms.
Most certainly the bloom that led her to
believe patience and tolerance and love 
would result in a lasting companionship of
mutual respect and comfort, has failed.