The miner wiped the sweat from his forehead and laughed softly.
“Because,” he said, pulling his wife closer, “working in the mine is easier than keeping up with you.”
His wife burst out laughing and smacked his shoulder playfully. “Flatterer!” she said. But deep inside, she loved hearing it. For months she had waited for his return, counting every lonely night while he worked far beneath the earth in darkness and danger.
The miner looked at her tired smile and realized something important. The mine drained his body, but being away from home drained his heart even more. Every time he returned, his wife treated him like the most precious treasure in the world because she knew each trip underground could have been his last.
That night, instead of rushing back to bed, they sat together quietly in the kitchen, sharing coffee and stories until sunrise. The miner spoke about collapsing tunnels and endless black dust, while his wife told him about the empty house and how she missed hearing his boots at the door.
A few months later, the miner made a decision. He left the dangerous mine job and found work closer to home, even if it paid less. When his friends asked why he would give up the money, he simply smiled and replied:
“Gold, coal, and diamonds mean nothing if you spend your whole life away from the person who makes you happy.”
