Entry #158

Nerves and Secrets: A Confessional Tale
by Angela Norton


I can’t wait any longer. I have to tell her. I was sort of hoping it would just go away, but it’s obvious now that won’t be the case. Will she be willing to try and work through it? Is that even possible? The thoughts pulse in my head as I walk around our dining room table, and with trembling hands set down plates and silverware. I try to calm down by taking some of those yoga breaths she’s always talking about, but not knowing what that really means I end up half choking, half hyperventilating.

“You okay in there?” my wife calls from the kitchen. The aroma of garlic and oregano fill the air, and I look up to see her staring at me with concern on her face.

“Fine,” I squeak in a higher than normal voice, indicating I’m anything but fine.

“Dinner’s almost done. Will you pour us some wine?”

I grab the first bottle I see and set about uncorking it. Guilt catches in my throat. At the very least, this news will be enormously upsetting and will shock her stable existence to its core. At the very worst, oh god, I can’t even think about it.

She joins me at the table. It feels like there’s a jackhammer in my stomach. To steady myself, I take a long gulp from my wineglass and decide it’s now or never. It’s ironic, I picked a red wine.

“Honey,” I begin a little shakily, “I’m a vampire.”