“Where are you going?” These are not the words Dai wanted to hear at this particular moment. Why did she have to be home early today of all days?

“Out,” he offered with a shrug.

“Out where?” she pressed with measured incredulity, all the while maintaining a casual sort of air, as if this wasn’t an interrogation but an innocent conversation.

Though he wanted the argue her justification in questioning his every move, Dai knew full well this would only be turned back on him as if he were hiding something. But, fair enough, he was hiding something. He was hiding lots of things, years and years worth of quiet resentment, a thousand tiny inequalities gone unaddressed.

But, as he often did, Dai lied, “It was supposed to be a surprise.” This was a half lie, as his departure would have been a surprise. But it also worked, as he did on occasion bring her little surprises, not that she noticed or seemed to appreciate any of them.

“Oh,” she said brightly, “Let me give you the grocery list then.”