Chicken

Hortus thumped his chest, and put on an easy grin. “Tonight, I’m Moses, parting the Red Sea.”

At the wheel, the thought came to mind: was Abraham a better lover than I was? He banished this notion, and squeezed his wife’s hand, and prayed to God for forgiveness and a safe return to the Laval home. Parked on the driveway after a silent ride, Sarah moved not to open the passenger door. Her hand over her mouth, she was doubled over and quaking. Was she crying? I was at a loss for words, til she spoke. “Goodness,” she said at last, and there started the laughter that only stopped an hour later after her second cup of chamomile. “I got that rascal’s joke just now.”