Working at home

When we had a winter storm recently, my husband stayed home to work. I braced myself for all the disruptions I was sure this would bring to my own work. But he sat down at his computer promptly at 6:30 and started right in. (I only know this because he told me later; I was still under the covers, studiously avoiding any thought of getting up and starting work.) He didn't read me any e-mail jokes. Since he didn't have to get out of his pajamas, I didn't have to act as clothing consultant. I did not have to pack his lunch.

I ate breakfast slowly, reluctant to start working since he was only going to interrupt me. I wandered to my computer and started to read my e-mail, which is how I generally begin my work day even though it has nothing to do with my work. I was getting ready to check out a new book on Amazon when my husband said, "It's only 10:00 and I've worked over 3 hours already!"

10:00? I quickly opened my file for Ch. 5 -- or was I still on Ch. 4? -- and got to work.

Every now and then he would talk to himself, saying things like "have to update the K factor" and "a definite integral of the delta function." But none of these utterances seemed aimed at starting a conversation with me, and I went back to work.

The newspaper beckoned me, having been delivered rather late because of the storm, but before I could go read it my husband said, "It's only 11:30 and I've already worked five hours! I could be done with my eight hours by 2:30!" I resolutely sat back down and kept working.

A while later I went downstairs to take the clothes out of the dryer, anticipating a nice long lunch together -- perhaps we could write it off as a business lunch, since we were, technically, both working -- but by the time I came back up he had already scarfed down his sandwich and was back at the computer. I looked longingly at the still-unread newspaper on the kitchen table, heated up some soup in the microwave, and sat down to eat it at my desk.

Every so often I commented on the goings-on of the neighbors and various pets outside the window, which he could not see from where he sat. "I can't believe how many people let their dogs run around loose," I said.
Humph, he grunted.
"That guy is trying to get his dog on the leash, but the dog keeps running away from him and hiding between the cars."
"Hmmm," my husband said.
"And now a deer and a fox have joined in the game of hide and seek," I said. "And a bear!"
"Really," he said.
I sighed. "No, not really. But it could happen, you know."
He didn't seem interested in anything that was happening or could happen outside his four feet of space.

Around 2:00 I said enthusiastically, "Hey, honey, how about a coffee break?"
"You don't drink coffee," he said.
"I know, but I could have some hot chocolate while you have your coffee."
"I don't think so," he said. "I've only got about an hour to go on this and I want to get it done."
So of course I did not have a coffee break, either.

"Hey," he said, near the end of the day. "You got dressed today."
"Of course I got dressed," I said in a haughty tone. "I'm a serious at-home worker."

The next morning I lay in bed, listening to the sound of his car backing out of the parking area. I smiled and went back to sleep. No distractions today.