The Commitment

The first two paragraphs introduce Alice's dilemma:

Alice could tell that it was time for Fred to die. During the past seven of their fifty-eight years of marriage, she had been expected to spend an increasing amount of time seeing to his needs. These expectations were self-imposed and realized by Alice's strong sense of duty. Long ago she gave her word that for better or worse, she would love, honor, and obey Fred in every way. She had always loved him and he never demanded beyond her ability to obey. However, the time for honor was at hand.

At first, all that Fred required, beyond the usual daily chores of a traditional wife and companion, was assistance with his shoes and socks. Then he developed a habit of dropping anything in his grasp. What was worse, Fred seemed unable to retrieve anything once he dropped it. Alice would often find Fred standing looking down woefully at some precious possession beyond his reach, or caring, on the floor below.

I believe you will enjoy reading about Alice's resolution to her commitment and appreciate the humor in her solution.

E L Russell