Marriage and Key Lime Pie

When anyone asks my husband, Noel what kind of pie is his favorite he always responds, "hot or cold". The man loves pie and it doesn't really matter which kind of pie it is...but there is one exception to that rule. He does not like Key Lime Pie even just a little bit.

Saturday our church hosted a dinner for those in leadership and  the dessert for the event was a choice of two different kinds of pie. The one was a chocolate cream pie and the other wasn't as easily identifiable. I saw it and reasoned it was some sort of sugar cream, or banana cream or perhaps not even pie at all but cheesecake.

I went through the line before my husband and chose the chocolate cream pie. Upon returning to my seat the lady next to me commented that the other pie was key lime pie. My initial reaction was, "darn, I wish I would have known that." Did I mention that I really like key lime pie as in it is one of my absolute favorites? But then it hit me Noel was still in line.

I smiled and said, "no problem. I guarantee Noel will pick up the key lime thinking it is something else and I will trade him my chocolate pie for his key lime."

Noel returned to the table and as he lowered his dessert to the table I took his plate and said, "you don't want that. It's key lime, but I will trade you my piece of chocolate pie." To the amusement of the others at the table he was happy I had rescued him from the key lime pie.

How did I know he would grab the key lime pie? After nearly 30 years of marriage I know that while he likes chocolate he would prefer something else in the way of pie. And key lime pie isn't often served places so I knew it would not even be on his radar as he tried to determine what the white cream looking pie was.

After decades of being together there are very few surprises between us. We know one another better than we know ourselves. When things happen he knows how I am going to react, and the same is true when me. I know how he processes things.

Some may find it sad that there are few surprises left but not me. I find that intimate knowledge of one another comforting. The reminder of that "knowing" sure made for one delicious piece of key lime pie.