Ten Years Later
billadler.substack.com
After we woke from our unplanned nap, I half-jokingly asked Caroline, “Which is better, sex or sleep?” and when she said, “sleep,” her reply should have shattered my heart, but I felt the same way.
I publish a new story every Sunday, but now and then I publish a super-short story in between.
I hope you enjoyed this one-sentence story. It’s a challenge and a delight to capture somebody’s entire life between the first letter and period. If you enjoyed this story, I think you’ll also like Peter Fraser’s Sudden Death, another one-sentence story.
I like how there are many ways to interpret this sentence.
It could be sad. A story of two people falling out of love. The lack of sexual gratification could be a sign of greater troubles in their relationship. It should hurt to be drifting apart, but at this point they’ve subconsciously accepted what is happening to them.
It could be a story about aging. Many people slowly lose their sex drive as they get older. The couple in this story could be accepting that sex doesn’t satisfy them like it used to and they’re not as bothered by it as they would be if they were younger.
Or it could simply be about love. Falling asleep in each others arms could be more physically and emotionally rewarding than sex. Being told “I like sleeping more than sex” can be an ego buster. Being told “I like sleeping next to you more than sex” is not.
For me, once I’m tired, that’s it. Point of no return.