Warning: Contains some strong language.

"Welcome home, Edward!" Marin chimed as Edward stepped through the front door.
Edward grunted in response and removed his coat.
"I cooked your favourite," his wife continued as she undid her apron, which was still pristine, "It's on the table."
Edward headed into the dining room and sat down, shovelling a mouthful of beef stroganoff into his mouth even before his backside had hit the chair.  Marin sat down opposite him and set about mixing her stroganoff and rice into one disgusting mess.  Edward wrinkled his nose and swallowed a forkful of rice without chewing it.  The tiny pellets tumbled down his throat and he washed this down with a gulp of iced lemonade.  Bubbles jumped on the surface, prickling his face.
"How was work?" Marin asked, dabbing delicately at her lipsticked mouth with the corner of a napkin.
"Shit," Edward replied in the brief pause between mouthfuls.
"Edward, please," Marin said, "You know I hate it when you swear."
"I know," Edward said, picking up the pepper mill and dusting his rice with a thick coating of black flecks.  He took another mouthful of rice and the pepper burned the left side of his throat.  He smiled.
"Well, I've had a very productive day," Marin said, "I did the shopping and I cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom – I finally got round to unscrewing the oven door and cleaning the inside of the glass."
Edward added some pepper to his beef.
"And I saw Annie Rhodes while I was at the shop," Marin went on, stirring her dinner some more, "You know Annie?"
Edward shook his head
"Of course you know Annie," Marin said, waving a hand, "She said that John's ankle is better now.  He got the cast off on Thursday and he was back to work today.  She said she was really worried about him though, but then wives worry, don't they?"
Edward finished off his lemonade and looked at his watch.
"Perhaps I should ring her after dinner," Marin mused, "Would you like another lemonade, Edward?"
Edward held out the empty glass and Marin took it as she stood up.  In the thirty seconds it took Marin to refill his drink, Edward polished off the meal and left the room, traipsing up the stairs to his office.
It was five to six as he switched on the computer and inserted the third DVD of The Wire, season two.  Marin opened the door, placed his drink on the coaster to the left of the screen and disappeared with a smile.  Edward shut the door after her and turned the volume up on the speakers as loud as they would go.  He hated watching The Wire on his computer.  The shitty little speakers with their tinny sound made easy work of ruining the atmosphere.  It was more than a little offensive that the thirty inch flat-screen TV had been paid for with his salary, but he was never allowed to watch his DVDs on it.  Marin was home all day and had hours to watch This Morning and Loose Women and any other mind-numbing drivel she considered to be necessary viewing, but that was never enough.  Perhaps it was time to get her a television of her own.  Of course, Marin would refuse, saying that they didn't have enough money, to which Edward would respond that perhaps she should get up off her cellulite-ridden arse and get a job to earn her keep.
As the DVD loaded up, Edward clicked off the light and leaned back in his office chair.  It creaked under his weight, screaming like a small rodent that had been stepped on.  He'd always wanted one of those big leather office chairs; the kind that was like an armchair, but on casters.  The only good thing about being at work was actually getting to sit in one of those luxurious chairs.  Of course, Marin wouldn't allow him to have one of his own.  Edward had considered buying one in secret, but with the amount of time that woman spent cleaning the house every day, it would take her all of six minutes to find out.  She was such a devoted wife.