A RECIPROCAL PROMISE YEARS AGO

My husband and I married many moons ago in Michigan. This week is our anniversary. It is a milestone year and begs for a celebration. We have been housebound for a long time, taking only staycations to the lake. It has been raining excessively, too. Traveling to somewhere exotic would be nice. A trip to Hawaii or Paris, as much as we’d like them, is out of the question, though. The money we have in the bank won’t stretch quite that far. However, we should be able to afford a little more than we did, back on our twenty-fifth anniversary. That was eons ago. Back then, we had not one thin dime to our names. We were living in a dirt cheap motel. And we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago to celebrate, because it was FREE. We spent the entire day dealing with other people’s children… pushing, shoving, screaming and crying. It was not exactly the romantic adventure we had imagined. But we made do, trying to enjoy ourselves. The animals made it worth our while. My hubby and I...then sought out, the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, nearby... where we renewed our vows, saying a little ditty to each other... with lots of people milling about. It was sweet, but crowded... yet, somehow intimate enough, to mark the occasion. No one embraced us or the moment, so we went on our way. (Nowadays it would have been captured by a stranger’s cellphone and posted on social media.)  After our little impromptu ceremony... we picked up a cheeseburger, small fries and a drink... splitting the order  in half, to share in our motel room. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. That was it. No friends, family. Just us. More years, than we care to mention... have passed since then. And, we've had plenty of other anniversaries to celebrate in style, with all the bells and whistles. But now, because of our advancing ages, particularly my husband's... this anniversary, this week... is especially important. Because the truth is... it could be our last one together. The Grim Reaper looms. So... we racked our brains for ideas. What to do or where to go to celebrate. Unfortunately, the main issue at hand is our mobility. Wherever we go... has to be easy to navigate, with little if any walking involved. And parking must make the place accessible. Breathing in the elements... is also a potential deal breaker, because of my husband’s pulmonary problems. The heat and humidity are not COPD friendly. So no risk taking in July. Yet… our hearts desire is strong. The outdoors beckons. The ocean is calling us home. But not yet. Not this week. In the late fall, instead... when the temperatures drop and wearing a sweater is a necessity. Somewhere, where the sharks aren’t biting... we’ll be renting a room for a week... in a vintage 1950’s motel with an ocean view. We’ll be chilling… with a few mimosas, or perhaps mulled cider… sitting on our butts, in a couple of basket weave lounge chairs… watching the waves roll in… as the sun rises out on the Atlantic Ocean. Did you know that ocean is the same color as my husband’s eyes? A beautiful seafoam green. My heart beats a little faster, when I see them both. Let’s hope nothing happens to change our plans between, now and then. We’re more than a little excited.