Glenda closed the trunk of the car with a slam. "Burt, are you ready to go?"

She hoped this hike would be a fun way to reconnect with her husband of five years, but right now he just stared at her as though she had lost her mind. He'd told her yesterday that she was crazy to want to go. Hiking had always been his hobby, whereas she'd always been happier in the garden. He didn't seem to understand that she wanted to do this so she could get close to him again. His failure to see this upset her more than she cared to admit.

Glenda bent down and tightened up her trainer shoelace. The shoes had been Burt’s gift to her when they got married. She should have realized then that their wildly divergent interests might cause problems. Glenda's love of gardening was due to the fact that it was a solitary pursuit, but then again, Burt occasionally hiked alone if his buddies were busy, so maybe they weren't that different.

Oh, who was she kidding? More gregarious and active, Burt always had to be busy. He had never been bone-idle, and he preferred to have people around him at all times if possible. Sometimes Glenda just wanted to spend an afternoon snuggling with him on the couch in front of a movie, but whenever they tried, Burt coughed and fidgeted until, rather despondently, she gave him permission to leave.

"Look, I don’t know why we’re doing this," Burt said as he climbed into the driver's seat. "It's going to be a hot afternoon and I'm not sure you're cut out for this."

"That's as may be, Burt, but I love you and I want to save our marriage," Glenda replied quietly. She reached out to touch his arm.

Burt flinched. He moved his arm away and turned the key in the ignition.

Stung by his distance, Glenda's hand fell into her lap and tears filled her eyes. She batted them away, ashamed by her theatrics.

Burt sighed and switched the engine off. She knew that despite everything that was wrong between them, he hated to see her cry.

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