Boys tend not to be too thrilled with flowers. So every so often, Ailish would bring home candy for me. She thought a complete meal should have meat, starch, and vegetables; I’d happily subsist on candy. I mean, a calorie is a calorie, right?

So every so often, Ailish would be home candy for me. Sometimes, she’d hide it under my pillow. Other times, she’d leave it by the coffee maker for me to discover in the morning. Sometimes, she’d buy it because I had had a hard day, but other times, it was just because she loved seeing me smile.

I would give Ailish roses from time to time, but it wasn’t the same. Roses aren’t nearly so tasty.