The situation was grim and she wasn’t holding up very well.
He would arrive soon and hopefully tell her what she needed to hear. Time was passing slowly. She looked at the clock again. It had hardly moved. Its low, monotonous tick didn’t help. It was the sound of slowness, a portent of how unbearable things could get. She was in a state, she knew it, but he would be here soon. He would come back and she would hear the words that would set things right. She was watching the seconds ticking away on the clock when she heard him coming through the front door. Her heart raced.
“Thank goodness!” she cried, as he entered.
He smiled at her concern and shook his head.
“I just need to hear it from you,” she said.
He understood and nodded.
“Tell me,” she pleaded.
“OK! OK! I will…”
She laced her fingers in prayer.
He said, “It’s OK. No need to worry. Everything’s going to be alright.”