He walked through the front door.  There was no one to greet him, so he dropped his briefcase on the floor.  From the kitchen came sounds, bustling and clanging, dinner being prepared.

            His wife stood at the sink, rinsing carrots.

“Hello dear.”  She didn’t reply.

“Hello dear, I’ve missed you.”  He said again.

“Hi Thomas.  I heard you come in.”  She never looked away from the carrots.

He came up behind her, put his hands on her shoulders.  He leaned in to give her a surprise kiss on the cheek, but she turned away to dash off to the stove.  She pulled the lid off a pot just before it boiled over.

            “I hope you remembered the Jones’s are coming over for dinner tonight.  I figured we owed them since they had us last week, I just hope we don’t get roped in to looking at baby photos again.  Honestly, you’d think she was the only woman who ever had a baby the way she talks.

            He walked towards his wife again with his arms held out, hoping to catch in an impromptu hug.  She turn towards him holding the pot.

            “Oh, thank you.”  She shoved the pot into his arms.  “Just set it on the counter there.  I ran into Mrs. Jones at the supermarket today, she has a new hairstyle.  Cut it short and permed it, she looks just like a French poodle.  Oh, it looks just awful!”  She said gleefully.

            She walked through the kitchen, opening cabinets and drawers.  She managed to create a lot of bangs, but seemed to accomplish little else. Finally she went back to the sink and began peeling the carrots.

“I just cannot believe the horrible things some women will do to their hair.”

“I love you Gwen.”

“Oh no!”  She cried.  Suddenly she dashed to the refrigerator and opened the door.  “Oh no!  I forgot the eggs.  I went all the way to the grocery store today and I forgot the eggs.  Well, I’ll have to go back.  I can’t make dessert without the eggs.”  She snatched her purse of the kitchen table.

“I’ll be back in a jiff dear.”

“I love you.”

“Alright, dear.  Be back soon.”

“Gwennie!”

For the first time since he came home, she looked at him.

“What is it?”

“Can’t you see I’m trying to tell you something?”

“Well what is it?  What do you want to tell me?”

“I…well.”  For a moment he couldn’t find the words.  “Gwennie, do you remember when we were young, we used to say we were going to go to Egypt together?  You know, see the pyramids, ride a camel, all those things.  We wanted to go for our honeymoon, but we couldn’t afford it back then.  And I told you not to worry, someday we would go.  Well, why don’t we go now?”

“Go to Egypt?  Now?”

“Why not?”

“Well, we can’t just go now.  You have to plan these things.”

“I have some vacation time coming up.  We have enough money in the bank.  If we don’t, I’ll pull some out of my retirement, I can retire a year later.  When we get to Cairo we’ll buy a guidebook. We could be on a plane tonight.  Let’s go.”

His wife of twenty years looked at him, thunderstruck.  For a long moment she could not say a word.  Then she laughed.

“Egypt.”  She laughed.  “Don’t be silly, Thomas.”

“Gwennie, we could be there tonight.”

“The Jones’s are coming over for dinner tonight.”  She said, fishing the keys out of her purse.  “I’ll be back from the grocery store soon.”

“I love you Gwenie.”

“I…I love you too, Thomas.”