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.