He had always had trouble putting the right words together.
His wife had always been very supportive. She had gone to adult speech pathology classes with him. She had worked with him through several books for the improvement of articulation and for speaking with greater confidence. Apart from these practical efforts, she had always been patient with his slowness to form words, from the first day they met. He knew how lucky he was to find someone with so much understanding.
Although throughout the years he had made a good deal of progress, the impediment remained.
Today, he knew how important it was to get it right.
He looked directly at her and said, slowly and carefully, “My darling, I love you very, very much.”
He stood back while the viewing room attendant carefully replaced the coffin lid.