He noticed I was carrying the whole weekend in my face and took the children out

Dear Delyara, There is something so intimate about being relieved before you ask. I was doing the Saturday morning thing — breakfast, crumbs, uniforms in the wash, one child upset over something tiny and total, the other arguing about football boots, my husband asking where the toolkit was, and all the while I could feel this tightness in my face that means I am close to becoming the version of myself I hate being. He must have seen it. He said, “Get dressed or don’t. We’re going out for a bit. You stay.” The door shut behind them and I stood in the quiet kitchen feeling like someone had returned my spine to me.