Chicken and Scrambled Eggs

I told him I loved him. I said it in the way that makes you feel exposed afterward. And he said: "ty." TY? Huh? What? WTF.

"I love you too" was nowhere in sight. "I feel the same" never arrived. There wasn't even a FULL "thank you." Just: "ty." I honestly sat there staring at my phone trying to process what had just happened. So I asked him how he felt. Nothing. He just went silent.

Oh my God, I was furious. My head was spinning. I was convinced he had been breadcrumbing me the entire time. How could I have known this man for over 40 years and he still couldn't tell me one simple thing? I remember thinking, either you love me or you don't. You can't even say it???????

And then everything went radio silent for two days. Nothing. No explanation. No reassurance. No follow-up.

Then a few days later, in the early morning hours, I was sound asleep in my bed when that annoying text notification went off. You know when you charge your phone next to you and you were fully planning to sleep late for once? That sound. I grabbed my phone, half asleep and already irritated. And there it was: "Have you ever thought about why a chicken and a scrambled egg should be eaten together?"

I just stared at my phone. What? No. I have literally never thought about that. What does that even mean? I didn't answer. An hour later, another text: "Pathways."

At this point I decided he had completely lost his mind. Because I had asked for emotional honesty, and somehow this man had responded with cryptic breakfast philosophy. I was hurt. Angry. Completely exhausted by him.

And then, hours later, it hit me.