He and she sat face to face. The landlord entered and asked, "Are you sure you won't renew the lease?" He remained silent; she shook her head. They were divorcing, so naturally, they wouldn't stay.
The landlord inspected the room and exclaimed, "Goodness! Look what you've done to my walls! They're covered in nails! How can I rent this out?"
"The room is too small," he explained. "We had to hang things on the walls." The landlord ignored him and went to fetch a toolkit.
She looked around the familiar space. Four years ago, she became his bride here. On their wedding night, he had said guiltily, "I'm sorry you have to live in this tiny room. I'll earn enough to buy us a proper home."
The room was only 13 square meters. By the door were two nails: one for her bag, one for umbrellas. She remembered coming home, dropping her things on the floor, and staring at the mess in frustration.
On the left wall were three nails for his clothes. After moving in, he had cleared out boxes to make space for a desk because he knew she loved to write and draw.
On the right wall were four nails that once held their wedding photo. The frame was gone now. She recalled him hurting his finger while hammering those nails and how she insisted he get a tetanus shot.
The landlord returned, groaning as he pried out the nails, leaving the walls pockmarked with holes. Suddenly, her heart ached as if pierced by those very holes, bleeding endlessly.
She sprang up. "Stop! We'll keep the lease until we buy our own place!" He looked at her, astonished, then turned away, tears on his face.
She finally understood: marriage is like a wall. Quarrels, cold wars, doubts—they are the nails. Remove them, and you're left with a scarred, fragile wall. Leave them in place, and the wall remains solid and dependable. All she had seen before were the offending nails.
They hung their belongings back on the walls. "Are you really willing to face a hard life with me?" he asked. She dusted off her hands, gazed contentedly at the cluttered walls, and said, "Yes. For me, this isn't hardship."