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Lovely and the Fuse
Two equally endearing qualities of my wife and how I’m the cause of one
Loveliness. That would be the answer if anyone asked, “What is your wife’s core quality?” It’s as natural to her makeup as her smile.
Cherished by family and friends, adored by the kids at her school, sincerely appreciated by coworkers, and affectionately loved by our daughter’s friends — one of whom has my wife listed in her phone as “My Other Mom” — my wife operates with a solidly good heart, and cares deeply about others.
However…
She also packs a brief but fearsome temper. An East Coast Canadian daughter to homesteaders of Irish and Scottish descent, my wife comes by her rage honestly. I’ve learned that the characteristic is common among her ancestors, especially the Irish. A long fuse braided with patience and kindness that, once set alight, burns with a magnesium flash, resulting in a volcanic release. But serenity follows this violent explosion, and the ash falls quickly and softly back to earth, where she resumes her usual demeanour. Like the Atlantic waters of her home, she laps at the shores of life, calm, deep, and quiet.
Yet, beneath the beauty, a tempest lies in wait, and a recent weekend excursion showed just how quickly I can make her waters boil.
