Just Another Day

Fiction is not normally my genre, but I felt like trying to characterize the near perfect day to share with another. It's fantasy and a day that has yet to happen, but hope springs eternal.

It was still early when we awoke, so we chose to snuggle in each other’s warmth for another hour. Maybe longer – we never cared much about time as long as we were together. Outside you could hear the soft murmur of mourning doves, but it was mostly quiet except for our sharing of occasional thoughts. After a while, I got up and went downstairs, leaving her to ease her way out of bed at a more leisured pace. After all, someone had to brew the coffee.

When I returned, the shower was running, and the steam filling the bathroom erased any lingering edges from the new morning. My heart raced when I saw her profile through the fog on the shower door, and I knew I had to join her. We took turns washing each other, laughed as we tried to dry each other, and finally fell back into bed where we shared a few more moments in each other‘s warm embrace, although we were soon overcome by other desires. “Ah,” I thought, “there was much delight and promise in this morning’s first few moments.”

As we lay there, the fresh coffee aroma began to beckon, and with that encouragement, we finally dressed and went downstairs to greet the day. Our leisurely breakfast included two newspapers and a shared crossword puzzle before we headed into the bustle of the city. With a few tedious errands behind us, we found ourselves exploring every nook and cranny of a favorite antique shop, repeatedly trumpeting the excitement we felt with each unique discovery or forgotten curiosity. Lucky for us it was only a short walk to the bistro where we first met. We returned there often when wanting to enjoy a romantic moment or celebrate the good fortune that brought us together. We also enjoyed the other customers, all of whom would stare at us as we stared at each other. We were obviously in love.

The odyssey continued after lunch as we spent more time than we should have in a bookstore and dallied for even more contented moments in a coffee shop before a stroll along the waterfront. The afternoon would be complete only after a tasting and inevitable purchase at a nearby cheese shop. The owner was an old friend, and he invited us into his wine cellar to try his latest treasure. As Dionysus wished, we left there with two bottles of something really special. Then for good measure, we stopped on the way home at a newly opened chocolate shop where a beautiful display had caught our eye. Of course, we selected a few for later that evening. Three each somehow seemed just right.

Once home, we spent a while on the porch. The weather was perfect, the slow steady motion of the swing lulled us, and the mourning doves returned to murmur again, softly and serenely. Twilight crept in and surrounded us.

Later that evening we enjoyed our cheeses, savored our wine, and eventually marveled at how utterly exquisite a simple chocolate could be. Other than those of a distant train, the only sounds were the stories and thoughts and dreams we eagerly shared. We opened the second bottle knowing we wouldn’t finish it but wanting something to sip as we settled on the couch to view a film we had been wishing to see for a long time. As we watched, we occasionally commented, but mostly we just relaxed in each other’s arms – breathing as one.

The film was superb, of course, but what was truly remarkable was the way we simply enjoyed being in each other’s company. As the hour grew late, we returned to bed and listened to the rain’s now steady rhythm. Once again snuggled securely in each other’s warmth, we whispered occasional thoughts and dreamed of tomorrow’s adventures and the shared journey we had come to treasure.

TGB