Safe Word—a 100-Word Story
When the stakes are high and the path unclear, the heart finds a way to speak. This is the tale of how a single phrase altered our marriage, told in 100 words.
My wife and I discovered a safe word—
not for sex, but for survival.
It arrived on cat's paws.
I wanted to handle our son one way; she, another.
Then it appeared: "I couldn't live with myself if something happened to him…"
Innocent, plaintive, no aggresion…passive or otherwise.
I stopped, my gut stirred; she had reached her limit.
I pulled back. This was not the time to win.
Sometimes the gut is all you need.
No explanation is required.
Something immutable is uttered,
a cry for survival.
So you humble yourself.
That's what a safe word is, after all. Safe.