For weeks, my wife slipped out every night after dinner, saying she needed to be “alone.” I thought she just wanted space—until one evening, I followed her.
I feared the worst. After my job demotion, things between us had been strained, and Teresa had grown distant and secretive. I was sure she was having an affair. But what I found shattered me in a different way.
She wasn’t meeting another man. She was visiting Evelyn, an elderly woman living alone in a rundown cottage. Teresa had met her by chance and, seeing her loneliness, began bringing her meals and company—using bits from our emergency fund to help, too afraid to add to my worries.
I felt ashamed. While I let suspicion take over, Teresa was quietly becoming someone’s lifeline.
Since that night, everything changed. Evelyn became part of our family. Now we visit her together—me, Teresa, and our kids—and we’ve started helping other seniors in the neighborhood, too.
That night taught me that love means showing up, and trust means asking instead of assuming. I almost lost faith in my wife—but instead, I found her all over again.
Now, when Teresa says she’s going for a walk, she adds, “Who wants to visit Grandma Evelyn?”
And we all do.
