Stroll

My wife and I try and take a walk together once a week. It's a health thing. Mental and physical. Despite spending so very many hours together as our lifelong commitment to one another bears down on us, there are still plenty of things we don't have a chance to discuss. It is during these weekly sojourns that we continue to advance our plan for world domination. Or at least a mild understanding of the calendar events for the upcoming week.
As is my habit, I wear the Spider Man exercise shirt she got for me many Christmases ago. It is how I mark the passing days. If I'm wearing the webbed red and blue shirt, this must be Sunday. And we are walking. Together. It is one of the few times that our exercise routines coincide. I tend to be running around the neighborhood while she is off dancing Zumba somewhere.
But not on Sunday. It is time for us to coalesce.
On a recent Sunday we were making our way back through the twists and turns of streets we wandered down, headed home. We rounded a corner and encountered a couple of young men sharing what we assumed was a bottle of vodka. Maybe it was spring water, but they seemed to be enjoying their conversation an awful lot and passing the bottle like they were very thirsty. For spring water. From half a block away, one of them spotted us and warbled, "Nah nah nuh, nah nah nuh." It took me a moment or two to recognize the tune, but then realized it was a reference to my shirt. "Hey man," hooted the other, "didn't I see you climbing up a wall over there?" He made a wild sweeping gesture. Laughter ensued.
As we passed by, I confessed, "Yeah. That was me. Just hanging around." More laughter.
Then the non-singer made another large gesture, punctuated by the assertion, "That's what I'm talkin' about!" It was at this moment that I realized that, as is our periodic custom, my wife and I were holding hands. "How long you two been married?"
My wife stopped and met their gaze. "Twenty-six years," she announced.
More laughter. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"
Then my wife pulled away from me, walking back a few paces. "Want to know how we lasted that long?"
Respectful silence from our spring water friends.
"We didn't get divorced."
A pause.
Then another burst of laughter. "That's what I'm talkin' about!" Gesturing toward us, sloshing some of the remaining contents of the bottle.
My wife turned and took my hand again. We continued on our walk back home.