That's ridiculous that texting is not communicating. When we are in separate places, sometimes my partner and I don't communicate at all, except about issues where we need to (e.g. arrival times). Sometimes we have long text conversations. Sometimes we just send each other photographs of cats. That has nothing to do with our level of intimacy.

Relationships are all about verbal communication is ableist bullshit, as anyone Deaf or with a verbal communication disability would be able to tell Annie. We absolutely invite trouble when we expect our partners to be mind readers, and it is absolutely true that if the LW and the husband have a disconnect about appropriate behavior, they need to communicate. But verbal? That's garbage.