Unwanted wake-up

At five in the morning, the house is meant to be dark and still. It is also my wake-up time, so I am careful not to disturb my wife’s sleep when I get up. But today, my carefully planned automation had other ideas. Right on cue, the study lamp flicked on, doing exactly what I’d asked of it. The problem was everything else I’d forgotten. In my half-asleep state, I’d left the study door ajar the night before. It didn’t seem like much at the time, just one of those small oversights you barely notice. But when that lamp sprang to life, its light spilled down the hallway and straight into our bedroom, cutting through the darkness like a spotlight.

My wife stirred first with a soft murmur, then the unmistakable shift of someone pulled from deep sleep far too early. I lay there, instantly aware of what had happened, piecing it together with a sinking feeling. My clever automation, designed to ease me into the morning, had instead jolted us both awake. For my wife, this early-morning intruder was uninvited and had disturbed what was already a restless night’s sleep. For her, it could not have come at a worse time. It made for a tense day, and she has hardly spoken to me. I guess I only have myself to blame.