Home Planet: Behind the mask (The un-Valentine)

My friend and I talked a long time about the way couples disagree. Some, like the pair across the table from my friend, explode into anger. They lose any sense of where they are or how others might feel. In the heat of battle they aren't concerned about collateral damage, about who might get caught in the hail of accusations and threats. Others ? and you see this a lot ? fight in an oh-so-polite kind of code, jabbing sarcastically at one another's weaknesses and bad habits. They cloak harsh words in a saccharine conversational tone and a tight smile that doesn't quite make it up to their eyes. It may not be as dramatic as throwing down your napkin and storming out of the best restaurant in town, but it's just as poisonous. And obvious. Either way, the fractures in the relationship are visible. And when the call comes, news of another separation or divorce making the phone tree, it isn't that much of a shock. It's the well-behaved ones that take you by surprise. They're the pair you never suspected were angry or unhappy. You never see them at their worst. They don't argue. They are always engaged and charming company. They sit across the table from you and you have no idea that they are as far apart as two people can be; that there is an icy glacier between them.