"Six Months"
A woman opens the door and a man stands up to greet her with a huge hug and a brief kiss.
Her: "So how are you doing?"
Him: "About the same. Not so good." (He starts to cry.)
Her: "Well, let's sit down and talk. I've got some things I want to say before lunch."
They sit on the couch.
Her: "First of all, I've been staying with a friend but it's going to take at least six months for us to work through this, so I'm renting an apartment as soon as this month is over. I just wanted you to know."
He takes a deep breath and looks lost, like someone has just hit him in the gut.
Her: "What will you do with the house if we can't work this out?"
Him: "I'll sell it because I see you in every room and I can't stand it without you here."
Her: "Well, I want you to know that it's not another man. I can't understand why you'd worry that I'm doing this because of a new boyfriend or something."
Him: "I worry about that because you are the most beautiful and sweetest woman I've ever known and I can't believe there are not hordes of men clamoring after you."
She puts her hand on his face and he puts a pillow in his lap where she can lay her head. He strokes her hair and her face. He starts to lightly sob and has a hard time speaking.
Him: "When you said you were leaving, I made one of those sheets of paper in my head with a line down the middle. On one side it had 'Reasons I Don't Care' and on the other it had 'Reasons I Want Her to Stay.' Do you know what I put on the left-hand side of the page?"
Her: "No, what?"
Him: "Nothing. Not one thing. I filled the other column up until I cried myself to sleep."
Her: "Maybe I won't need an apartment."
They kiss.