Monday, April 22, 2019

The Passive Aggressor

The book was missing. It had happened before. She didn't like anything that represented Christianity. Well... Christmas was OK because it was just about presents. But when her husband had bought a "Children's Bible Stories" book for their son, she quietly "got rid of it."

He simply wanted his child to be exposed to both their cultures. He also knew how biblical knowledge increased overall literacy. So, when he told the boy he should read about what Easter really was, they found that the book was missing. He searched everywhere but it was gone. She denied knowing what happened to it and refused to look him in the eye. Then, as many people do, she became angry at him for accusing her.

Knowing that he was dealing with someone who always behaved as if she was right and never worried about either logic or how he felt, he simply went to the bookstore to replace the book. His son went with him to help pick it out. She did not answer when he asked her if she wanted to go too.

As he predicted, she was gone when they returned home. They found a safe place for the new book. It would not be safe with the other books. Then the father and son agreed to move on and not talk about the incident again. It was the only way to keep peace in the family. Life was far too short to stay mad forever. Hopefully, she would learn that at some point. After all, she liked to post such sentiments on social media. Maybe she would learn to practice them. He sure hoped so.

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