And then, when they are home again, with all this drama and tragedy behind them, they will slip into old patterns, avoiding what’s important, carrying on the way they should.
I checked the longman dictionary[1]. There are some meanings for the verb "avoid":
- to prevent something bad from happening
- avoid doing something
- to stay away from someone or something, or not use
- to deliberately not do something, especially something wrong, dangerous, or harmful
I think the second one is more appropriate. But I don't still understand the meaning of the phrase below:
avoiding what’s important
So, could you please explain it to me?
The full text is here:
Beverly follows her husband to the staircase. They’ve hastily thrown on some warm clothes and are on their way to the dining room. Her heart races in time with her quick footsteps on the stairs. Despite her deep pity for the dead woman, she almost feels like they have been saved. This crisis has sidelined their own troubles. It’s as if they’ve both been pulled back from the brink they’d faced last night. It’s awful to think so, but she’s hoping that it will prevent them from focusing again on their marriage in the cold, empty light of day. She does not want to go there, now that she knows just how precarious her position is. And then, when they are home again, with all this drama and tragedy behind them, they will slip into old patterns, avoiding what’s important, carrying on the way they should. The way they must.
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lopena
