When he finally does, he says, "I’m not your late husband, Eleanor. I’m not going to disappear on you. But you have to stop treating my presence like an intrusion."

"Everyone leaves," Joe says quietly. "Eventually. That’s the deal. But the leaving isn’t the whole story. The being here now is the story."

The fairy tale says two become one. Reality says two healthy adults remain two. The most successful mature relationships are not about constant togetherness but about the sacred respect for solitude. He takes his fishing trip; she takes her writing retreat. The trust is not possessive but generous. "Go be yourself," these partnerships say, "and then come home and tell me about it."