One day last October, I had an unusual day. It started off with a trip into the city for a radio interview about an article that I wrote. My mom came over to meet the school bus after school. I had to switch from mom mode to professional mode, then back to mom mode with homework and dinner prep. I hadn't juggled responsibilities like that in a couple of years, and I was out of practice. 

After my mom left and I recovered from the adrenaline rush, I put some chicken cutlets in a pan for dinner. I was hovering over the chicken in the pan, when Steve walked in the door. I looked up at the clock. 6:15. Way too early for him.

"Hey, you're home early. What a nice surprise!" 

He opened the hall closet to hang up his coat. The closet door hid his body. There was a pause. A long pause. I heard in my head, "I lost my job today." And then he said it. Those exact words. "I lost my job today." I had to do a reality check. Did he really say that? Yes, he did.

He closed the door and I hugged him. And we talked about it.