The morning after, Bill had caviar and cream cheese (leftovers from the party) on his bagel for breakfast. He mastered the Rubik’s cube, after weeks of trying. He tried his new steamer shower massage, figured out how to set his new digital watch alarm, went to the ocean, took photos of our daughter, Alicia, and finally – after weeks of looking distracted and anxious – appeared content.

“So, turning 40 wasn’t so bad, after all?” I asked.

“No, not too bad,” he said.

Yesterday, he packed away all his birthday presents, which he had left on the floor in the bedroom to look at and admire. He has been quite chipper lately. Maybe tomorrow, a vacation day, he will wear another one of his birthday gifts – a bright red T-shirt with a bold imprint across the chest that says: “Here comes trouble.”

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