I sat down after my speech in my Pyro’s Anon. meeting and pondered my life. I thought about Wendy most of all. She was so adventurous, throwing caution to the wind every single day. It was difficult to protect her from herself.

I was always picking up the pieces, cleaning up the messes she left behind, and following her as she stormed through life like a bull in a china shop. Why did I do that?

Every time we got a ‘job’ call, she cajoled more money out of the client, took more risks than necessary, laughed more heartily, and loved me more sweetly. I was amazed every time she picked a lock, cracked a safe, created and planted car bombs, or even punched lackeys in a bar fight scene for cover.

I was not cut out for this life! I was always one step behind. Did that bother me, not having control as the male in this partnership? No it wasn’t that. Was it not getting to make decisions? Partly, but mostly, it was not being able to stop her.

One day she would take us both down in flames.