I’m standing here in the kitchen starting to get hot and bothered. I’m thinking, 

‘One day before our anniversary and I still haven’t heard anything from Jethro about how we will celebrate.  I’m tired of waiting so I will just ask him.  He’s downstairs in the basement now while I’m in the kitchen cooking dinner.  I know what I would like to do.  I would like to go out for dinner and dancing.  I love to dance.  I love to dance nice and slow with Jethro.  It gives me such a nice warm feeling when he holds me in his arms.  We sometimes dance and he will play Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra or Duke Ellington.  I asked him once why he plays all those songs from the 40s and 50s, he says that growing up in Stillwater he didn’t hear the up to date songs and plus his parents liked that music so he did too. My taste in music is all over the place from Al Green to Phil Collins; from Adele to the Foo Fighters; from Luther Vandross to Lee Ann Womack; from The Four Seasons to Little Anthony & the Imperials; from the Righteous Brothers to Sam Cooke; and from Beethoven to Strauss.

What a great joy it would be to go to a dinner theatre kind of place where we can eat and then dance to a live band or a very good DJ.  I would make requests for the slow love songs like “When I Fall in Love” by Nat King Cole, “All in the Game” by Tommy Edwards, and one of my favorites, “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” by Elvis Presley.  That would make my evening.  Then we would come home and make love through the night.  And when I say make love I mean nice and slow and hard and rough.  That would be my idea of a perfect evening.’

All right let me finish this dinner before I burn something.  In a minute or two I will call Jethro to come up for dinner.  I will set the table and place the food on it before calling him. I just hope that he has something planned for tomorrow.  

Jethro’s downstairs trying to finish his project.  He’s making a jewelry box for Margie.  He knows that she already has one but he wanted to personally make one for her to use for her stud earrings.  Margie doesn’t wear much jewelry when on assignments but when not in the field she wears bracelets and earrings.  Her dangling earrings she keeps in one jewelry box because she has many of them but she usually has to hunt for her studs in the midst of her other earrings.  She keeps talking about getting another jewelry box but she hasn’t yet.  

I’m thinking,

‘Margie’s very quiet upstairs tonight.  She usually has music playing while she cooks.  Did she find out what I have planned for tomorrow and it’s not to her liking?  No, there’s no way she knows about the dinner and dancing.  I didn’t tell anyone.  I’d better finish this up before she calls me for dinner.’

“Jethro, dinner’s ready.”

“Coming.”

We sit down to eat.  During the dinner we talk about our day.  Once we’ve finished dinner, Jethro helps me to clear the table. We stack the dishes at the sink for washing, drying and putting away.  I don’t like to leave my kitchen dirty.  After we finish I ask Jethro to sit with me on the sofa in the living room.

“Jethro tomorrow is our one year wedding anniversary.  What are we doing to celebrate?”

“One year already.  Wow!  What do you want to do?”

“What do you mean what do I want to do?  Don’t you have something already planned?  Please tell me you didn’t forget?  How could you forget our anniversary?  Wait, why are you laughing?  Do you think it is funny that you forgot our anniversary? Jethro?”

“Margie, I did not forget our anniversary.  I wanted to surprise you.  I heard all of the hints that you gave in the last week.  I planned things weeks ago.  We’re going to dinner and dancing.  I found this place that has a live band and plays music that we both will like and there’s a dance floor. Our reservation is for 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night.”

“Really? Why didn’t you just tell me?  You know that I hate surprises.  But I like this surprise.  You are such a good husband.  Thank you it sounds great.  I love you. Did you get me a present too?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“You did, didn’t you?  You’re the greatest! I will love the present whatever it is because you gave it to me.”

“Did you get a present for me Margie?”

“I’m not telling you. You will have to wait and see but I know that you will like it. Oops, I told you.  Forget that I said that and act surprised when you see it.”

“I will and I love you too.  Now are we ready for bed?”

“Yes, let’s go up now.”

----------------------------------------------  

The next day they both had the afternoon off.  Margie sent Jethro on an errand in order to move his present to the basement.  When he returned they had a snack so as not to spoil their appetite for dinner. They exchanged gifts.  They both loved their gifts and knew that they would get much use out of them.

The dinner was delicious and they had a great time dancing.  The band was excellent playing all of their favorite songs even the ones that Margie had thought about the day before. It was the best.  Dancing with each other they felt like the only couple on the floor.  The love flowing between them was almost palpable.  

They made it home, showered, and fell into bed.  There was something different about tonight. They lay in bed; the moonlight provided the light for them to see.  

“I have never loved anyone the way that I love you Jethro.  You are strong when I am weak.  You give when I need.  You see me when I hide myself within myself to shelter myself from life’s harshness.  You pull me out of the darkness when I can’t see the light. God gave you to me for me.  I will treasure you.  Let me love you this night.  Let me love you from your head to your feet and then let me love you more.”

And she did.  No part of my body did she not caress, no inch of me did she not kiss and I shattered into bliss.

After I recovered I turned to my Margie,

“You make me strong.  You allow me to be me. You don’t demand or try to control.  You are my light. You are my safe harbor.  I love you more than I thought possible, but I do.  Let me love you this night.  Let me feel you, let me taste you, let me surround you with my love.”

And he did.  He felt me all over, he tasted me in the most exquisite of ways, he surrounded me and entered me and I floated into ecstasy.

After I recovered we turned to each other and said,

“Happy Anniversary”

We fell asleep sated and satisfied.