A Silver Photo Frame on Our Porch Ended My Fifteen Year Blind Spot
Dr. Sterling walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, holding her empty coffee cup. She stood by the counter, watching me pour the dark roast into our ceramic mugs.
“You are a very unusual husband, Mr. Hayes,” she said, her voice quiet.
“I am a systems analyst, Dr. Sterling,” I said, setting the pot down. “I specialize in identifying bottlenecks in productivity.”
“And you decided your wife was a bottleneck?”
“No,” I said, looking her directly in the eye. “I realized I was the bottleneck. I have been blocking her development for ten years.”
The dean looked at me for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “She is terrified, you know. She has been out of the academic loop for a long time. The technology has changed.”
“The core science has not,” I said. “She is the sharpest mind I have ever encountered.”
“She will need support,” Dr. Sterling said. “The fellowship requires thirty-five hours a week of lab presence, plus weekend seminars. This is not a part-time hobby.”
“I have already restructured our household operations,” I said, gesturing to the kitchen. “I will be managing the domestic logistics. Marcus’s schedule is fully integrated into my planner.”
