THE MOMENT
Annie's day couldn't have gone any better, at least up until that point. It was a wonderfully cool and bright Saturday afternoon and she was in the kitchen with all the windows open to let the crossbreeze in. She was a chef, and preferred not to bring her work home. But, this was a special occasion and she was celebrating by making her favorite meal, fried catfish, with all the best ingredients she could find. She'd been planning it for weeks and as she bustled about, she couldn't help but feel that things were as perfect as they could be. Her day was happening as smoothly as she planned, and she expected it to get even better as soon as her husband got home. It was finally their 10th anniversary, and it was a special milestone.
She was so excited that she almost yelped in glee when she heard his car pulling in. She rushed to the door to greet him as she often did; though, it wasn't necessarily a daily occurrence. The one thing she could say about her husband, Xavier, was that he was appreciative of the small things. They were a pretty good fit. He never expected her to meet him by the door with a smile and a kiss; but, his appreciation encouraged her to do it more often than she would have over the years.
"Welcome home, honey," she spoke first as soon as the door was open, and she wrapped her arms around him for an embrace and quick peck on the cheek. "Happy anniversary," she added the reminder. Not that he needed it, he was good with those sorts of details.
"Happy 10th anniversary," Xavier nodded and returned the squeeze.
"Catfish, huh?" he caught the scent in the air, and shook his head with a chuckle. Then, it was quickly followed by a sigh.
"Well, it's a special occasion and you know I love it," Annie answered with the obvious explanation.
"Yeah, you do," he nodded as he took a few steps and sat down on the couch. Then, he patted the cushion next to him. "I guess we should talk before dinner then," he said.
"Do we have to?" Annie glanced at the kitchen. "I don't want it to burn," she said. Xavier chuckled and shook his head.
"I guess strictly speaking, we don't," he said. He got up from the couch, and looked Annie straight in the eyes. "Have a family and live happily for 10 years," he nodded. "Ok. Bet's over. See you," he turned toward the bedroom hall and took a step.
"Wait. That's it!??" Annie asked with a nervous crack in her voice. "You can't just leave!" she added.
"Well, I was going to get my stuff first...," Xavier chuckled.
"Oh, no!" Annie shook her head. "If you think you're going to take a single thing that we got together, you've got another thing coming! Damnit! Come finish this in the kitchen!" she grumbled when she realized how long it was taking. She dashed in to pull the fish out of the fryer, and Xavier walked into the kitchen behind her.
"What are you so upset about?" he asked.
"You're trying to walk out on me!" she answered. "How can I not be upset??"
"Ohhhhhh," Xavier had a realization about their conversation, and he smirked with a shake of his head. "After 10 years together...," he said. "... you really think I would just walk out?" he reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a thick envelope. "I'm not a welcher," he said as he handed it to her. "I was just gonna be cute about it and leave it under your pillow or something. But, here. You totally won the bet," he said.
"THANK YOU!" Annie snatched the envelope out of his hand; but, she felt bad enough to ignore the desire to count it. "I told you I could make you happy," she giggled.
"Yeah, you did. Technically, we didn't have children; but, I can't deny you made me feel like we were a family. I think I've had enough of that," he added with a smirk. "Especially if you're going to insist on stinking up the house with catfish," he scrunched his nose up and shook his head.
"It's my house," Annie stuck her tongue out at him. "And, you're not eating or staying here tonight anyway."