I thought my whole world was going to end when James told me he wanted to sleep in a different room. I didn’t understand why he would want to pull away now that he had been there for me nonstop for five years since my accident. “I just need more space to sleep,” he told me to calm down, but his words didn’t make my heart feel better.
Then he heard sounds—soft sounds coming from his room that got louder over time. Every sound made me think of ways he might be getting ready to leave or, even worse, trying to hide something from me.
I made up my mind to face the mystery. I tried to open his door one night but it was locked. The barrier made me think of a sign, which made my fears of losing him stronger. But late one night, I made up my mind to find out the truth. I got up all of my strength and rolled to his room.
This time, the door wasn’t locked. James stood inside among tools, paint, and furniture that wasn’t quite done. He smiled and looked up, shocked. “This wasn’t meant for you to see yet,” he told her. He told us that he was making our home easier to get to by building a lift system and unique furniture.
I got tears in my eyes as he talked. I thought he was pulling away the whole time, but he was actually making me a gift that would make my life easy. He said sorry for making me worry and gave me a wrapped gift—a heating pad for my legs.
We laughed, and the stress between us went away. We worked together to finish the projects, and on our anniversary, James moved back into our room with the sweet things he had made.
He told me, “I never left, Pam,” as he held me close that night. I was sure he hadn’t. I learned that real love isn’t always loud or obvious. There are times when small things done in silence show how much someone cares.
