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She got up from her desk in the front bedroom and walked into the living room to lie on the sofa, exhausted from her pain. Deep inside, she knew that she had made a mistake but it was too late now, having burnt that bridge.

*****

He pulled into the parking lot of the Wayfarers' Church, locally known as the "Glass Church" which overlooked the channel and gave a fine view of Catalina twenty-six miles away. He walked into the church and sat down. The last time he had been there was for the wedding of his best friend, Joe, who had married a nurse before moving to Las Vegas. He never liked Las Vegas, thinking it was a giant vacuum cleaner to take your money and had therefore never gone there.

He prayed to God, hoping for a miracle to get his wife back. He didn't understand it. He was a good person, charitable, honest... why did this happen to them?

He sat there for a long, long time, asking God for help. He put on his mask and walked out to his car, taking the coast route back to his house. When he finally returned home, he asked his mother if she wanted a pizza and when she said 'yes' he called and ordered their favorite.

Forty minutes later they were sitting at the table eating their treat, Jerry relating what he had done. His mother was worried about him, knowing that his funk was something that was going to take a long time to disappear.

*****

Crystal gave Susan a can of root beer and sat down next to her on the sofa. "What do you want to watch?" she asked, bringing up Netflix on the television that Jerry had bought her.

"Would you mind if I moved here? We're both alone and I don't feel comfortable driving. I guess I remember that but not much else."

"What about all your furniture? You just moved there."

"I can put it back into storage. Please?"

"All right. We'll have to let Jerry know. Let's watch 'Good Witch' with Catherine Bell." Crystal brought up the show but Susan was on the phone arranging to have her furniture moved.

Two days later the move had been accomplished with baby Suzy's crib in the living room and Susan safely in what had been the baby's room.

"Jerry hasn't been around lately." Susan looked out the window to where he usually parked.

"No, I think it hurts too much for him to come over... you know, with all that happened."

"Did I make a big mistake, Crystal? Sometimes I feel like I've killed my life but I just don't remember him like that."

"You could start over, you know, try again. He loved you once. He still loves you, it just hurts too much. You could have him over for dinner, again. What's his favorite food?"

"I don't remember; it could be anything."

"Well, then, it doesn't matter, does it? We could set up a table on the patio and make it romantic with candles and soft music and I could serve, just like a restaurant. It'll be fun and will work, take it from me."

*****

Jerry rang the bell, balancing the box of chocolate in his other hand as he waited for the door to open. He had high hopes for the evening, surprised that Susan had invited him over. He had also been surprised that the two women were now living together but felt that his wife was safer this way. Was she still his wife? The divorce had not gone through, yet, but just the same...

"Good evening, Jerry. Please come in."

He handed her the chocolates, glad that he hadn't dropped the box. His hand had been bothering him, lately, and he knew he should see the doctor soon.

Susan led him through the living room to the patio, romantically lit with hundreds of small candles that twinkled like stars in the evening sky.

He helped her to her chair when she indicated they were to sit and then Crystal brought out the salads, liberally covered with bleu cheese dressing. He complimented her on the taste which he enjoyed immensely, especially liking the crunchy croutons which crackled between his teeth.

"So," he started, "you decided to live here. I'm glad you're not alone at night."

"I'm glad that you approve. I wasn't sure what you were going to say."

"You make your own decisions. I had always supported you, ever since that afternoon when you outlined how to improve my holdings. You were incredible, having it all laid out, it was fantastic and I was so impressed. You must have been thinking about it for a long time."

Crystal cleared the salad dishes into the house and brought out the rib-eye steaks that the two women had carefully prepared along with crispy potatoes using a recipe they had gotten from the internet.

"Wow!" exclaimed Jerry, smelling the succulent meat that was before him. He leaned forward, in a small amount of pain that had moved up his back. 'Damn the pain', he thought, not wanting to ruin the evening.

"Are you all right?" worried Susan, having learned all over again about his back and leg.

"I'll be OK, just a twinge. This smells so good. Thank you. I really missed your cooking."

She blushed. Didn't know why, but she did. It was dark enough that he didn't see as he cut into his steak.

"I have creme brulee for dessert."

"You've gone all out."

"I'm so sorry," she said, "that it all happened the way it did and I'd like to start over... if that's all right with you. I know you have feelings for me and I've treated you poorly and I'm sorry, so sorry..." She started to cry, the sobs loud enough to be heard in the kitchen by Crystal. Crystal looked out the kitchen window at the two sitting on the patio and wondered if she should go outside when Jerry got up to embrace Susan, telling her it was all right, he was there for her. "You mean it?" she asked between flowing tears.

"Yes, let's start over," he said. "Let me tell you about Afghanistan." And for the next hour he told her about the war and how he had gotten hurt and was awarded the Silver Star after getting his men back to safety two days later, fighting the entire way, the Purple Heart, his Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Service Award Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Ribbon, and his National Defense Service Ribbon.

She regaled him with the politics of working in a bank, unknown to the customers who always thought things were done in a professional manner.

One by one, a slight breeze came up and blew out the flickering candles until they were sitting in the dark, holding hands. Jerry had lost his shyness, having been married to this beautiful woman who had enchanted him with her intelligence and wit. He leaned over and kissed her, once again tasting the sweetness of her lips as she leaned into his arms.

It was well after midnight when they had finished kissing and he felt he should excuse himself when she asked him to stay the night, not wanting to lose him now that she had found him again.

*****

The next morning, she woke with a smile on her face. She still didn't remember her wedding or her honeymoon but was happy.

"Want to go back to San Diego?" he asked, touching her hair and bringing it away from her face.

"Could we?"

"Of course. Tomorrow?"

"Wonderful! What should I bring?"

"Just regular clothes, that'll work. I'll drive. I'll pick you up at eight, OK?"

"Yes, darling, I'll be waiting."

*****

"Yes, that's right, tear up the new will and go back to the one that leaves most of it to Susan. We're back together. What do I do about the divorce?... All right, please take care of that; I'll have her contact you. Thanks."

The next call went to the Del Coronado where he got the same room reserved, anxious to relive the honeymoon that had all but disappeared that afternoon in the street. He was determined to bring it all back as best he could.

*****

The next morning, he drove over to the women's house to get Susan and soon they were heading south on the San Diego Freeway toward it's namesake city and two hours later they arrived, reliving the first part of their wedded life.

Walking in, they were greeted by the concierge who had been advised of their coming and the reason for the visit.

"Mr. and Mrs. Congers... welcome back to the Del. It's nice to see you again. We have your suite ready, just as you asked."

The bellboy brought their luggage to the room, taking his time when he saw that Jerry was using a cane to move around. He was tipped fifty dollars, Jerry wanting everything to be perfect.

When the door closed, Jerry took Susan into his arms and kissed her tenderly, not wanting to create anxiety in his once-again bride. He was determined to relive their honeymoon as much as possible, hoping that something would trigger her memory... if not, then they would live it again.

He sat on the sofa, patting the place next to him. She came over and sat down, holding his hand in hers, leaning over with her head on his shoulder, determined to make this work. It happened once, why not twice? He gave her her rings back and she blushed as she put them on.

They had breakfast at the Shearwater and then took a slow walk back to their suite to change into swimsuits in case they wanted to go into the water.

She was wearing a black one-piece while he had on brown baggie shorts and a t-shirt that said 'ARMY' in white letters across its green front. They finally reached the water and waded in, the gentle surf coming toward the beach. They held each others' hand and got into the water until it reached their knees, the coldness contrasting with the warm Southern California sunshine.

"That's cold," Susan said, reaching down into the water and bringing some up in her hand, splashed Jerry across his shirt.

"Funny girl," he retorted as he splashed her in return.

They were there for about a half-hour and then left, not wanting to burn below the cloudless sky. She held his hand, giving him the stability to walk without his cane. They entered their suite and showered the sand and salt off, then dressing for the rest of the day. She sat in the shade, watching the surf roll in as he came out from the room and joined her. He put his hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it as he moved over and sat next to her.

Jerry leaned over and kissed her cheek, whispering "I love you."

Susan looked at him, into his eyes, finding the truth there. "I'm sorry... for what happened."

"It's not your fault. I'm just glad it's behind us. My heart was so broken, I didn't think I was ever going to live again. I..."

She stopped him from speaking with a kiss and her hand caressed his face, then looking toward the bedroom with a tilt of her head, getting up and then pulling him up and leading him into the suite, dropping her shoes off in the living area in front of the television, giving him support as she moved faster to the bed, unbuttoning his shirt, unzipping his pants.

Soon, they both were undressed, together on the sheets, legs entwined as they kissed like teenagers on their prom date. He moved over her, carefully pulling her to him, legs apart as he entered tenderly into her moistness welcoming him home.

Even with his bad back, he was able to satisfy her as he heard her moan into his shoulder, biting him as she shuddered over and over. She finally held him to her for one last tremor and then he rolled over to his side of the bed, spent.

*****

"We'll have the calamari, the salmon, Greek salad, ice tea... thank you."

The server walked away with his two-hundred dollar request. Minutes later, he returned with drinks, calamari, salads and bread. He watched to see when he could bring out the entrees and then put in the order for the salmon, waiting to get them at the best possible time.

"I got sunshine on a cloudy day..." Jerry sang to his regained bride. "My girl..."

Susan laughed as he played air-guitar for her.

When they finished eating, she asked if he wanted to go back to the suite to "rest", she air-quoted him.

"Oh, yeah... of course." He reached for her hand as she got up and he stabilized himself against her, standing there as she walked closely to him, giving him the support that he needed.

In the suite, he sat down on the bed and she unlaced his shoes, something that he was having problems doing himself now, relying on his mother to help him or wearing slip-ons.

Susan pulled his pants off and then his shorts while he unbuttoned his shirt and took it off, followed by one of his t-shirts that he liked to wear.

She stood next to the bed, loudly humming as she took off her dress, surprising him by not wearing underwear, something that he had somehow missed when they were dressing earlier. Maybe it was because he was still sleeping when she had put her dress on.

He lay on the bed, anticipating what she was going to do next when she moved over onto him, her hands on his chest, moving through his chest hair, kissing his neck, feeling his hardness as she moved up and then taking him in as she sank down.

"I love you," Susan said, having lost her timidness following the accident when she had forgotten everything, leaving him in total despair. She began to play with him, much to his delight as she squeezed her thighs together, drawing him further in until it almost hurt and then he exploded deep within her, as if that made all the world all right.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, his arms around her, holding her down.

"Your mother gave me the laptop that had our wedding and reception on it and I've watched it, I don't know how many times, and it brought back something, something that showed me how much you loved me."

Jerry looked at her, quietly. He had not told her, again, how much he had in the bank except for the amount that had helped buy the houses that she knew about. He wanted her to love him for himself, not for the money. Although it was still a large amount, it paled in comparison to the total amount that he now had.

*****

"Thank you for staying at the Del; please come again."

Their bags were taken out to where the Challenger waited to take them home. Jerry wasn't sure if she was comfortable driving all the way north to Los Angeles, so, after opening her door for her, beating the bellboy to it, he saw that the bags were put into the trunk, and after tipping the man, got into the car himself and pulled away.

"Thank you," she said, "for not giving up on me, something that many men would have done."

"For better or worse... I made that vow and believed in it."

Susan felt bad, realizing that she had not, asking for a divorce instead of working through it. She cried at her failure.

"Please, don't cry. It's a new time for both of us, a new day, and we have it forever." He stepped on the accelerator as they entered the freeway and quickly shot to seventy miles an hour through the sparse traffic.

An hour later, they were approaching San Juan Capistrano and he signaled to exit and soon he parked the car at the mission.

"You had said, 'next time'. We're here." He got out of the car, taking his cane with him and met her at the back of the car and together they walked into the mission. Two hours later, he was buying her a golden cross on a necklace and after getting a little something to eat, they headed once again toward home, soon passing through the El Toro "Y".

*****

"You're back! I'm so glad!" exclaimed Clara, who had come out of the house after hearing the Challenger's deep rumble of its Hemi engine.

Once again, Jerry got the bags out of the car following a trip to the Del and Susan quickly took hers into the house while he carried his.

"Is everything OK?" whispered his mother to him, hoping for the best.

"We made new memories; stopped at Capistrano. It was very nice." He walked into the house, followed by his mother who closed and locked the door.

"I can order a pizza when you're hungry or we can go out, unless you've had enough of restaurants for now?"

"I'll ask Susan. She's done her best to be a loving bride, all over again."

Clara put her hand on his cheek, touching him as only a mother could, worried about him as much as when he had been in the war. "I'm glad. I was so worried. I see she's wearing her rings."

"I haven't told her about all the money, just the amount buying the houses. I want to wait... I know, maybe this is a mistake but I want to ease into it. There's been enough shocks as it is."

Clara looked at him, wondering if he was doing the right thing, the smart thing, but it wasn't as if he was bankrupt and keeping that as a secret or had a gambling or drinking problem.

Jerry entered the house, taking his bag into the bedroom where Susan was unpacking her own luggage and putting her clothes into the hamper to be washed.

He put the bag onto the bed and unzipped it, taking his clothes out and laying them out on the bed. His pants went into the closet and everything else went into the hamper in the bathroom. He yawned, tired a bit from the drive north.

It was late afternoon when Susan found him in the living room and asked him what he wanted to eat.

"What ever you want," he replied, "I don't care."

She was surprised at his response. Normally, he was very interested in what there was for dinner.

"Are you all right?" she asked, worried that there was something wrong.

"I'm sorry; I'm fine, just thinking, that's all. Come here," he said, patting the sofa next to him.

Susan walked over and sat down, reaching out for his hand, wondering what had bothered him.

"There's something I have to tell you," he started, "something that I have kept from you. I'm sorry but I had to be sure. I know that you know about the two million that I spent on the down payments for the houses..."

"What are you saying? Whatever it is, we can work through it together, just like you did for me." She took his hand and held it to hers.

"No, that's not it. I have more, that's all."

"Oh...Kay..."

"A lot more..."

"Oh...Kay..."

"Two hundred million more."

There was a sharp intake as Susan heard what he had said. For a moment she realized that she had once known this, both from working at the bank and having been married, but to her, this was new to her. "Oh..Kay..." was all she could say, glad that he told her while at the same time sorry that he hadn't told her earlier. "Oh...Kay..." she repeated, "that's OK." Her hands shook as the knowledge of what he had said was understood and accepted. "OK..." she repeated again, trying to believe it was true without feeling like a gold-digger.

"Are you all right?" he finally asked, unsure of what to do, realizing that what he had said was a great shock to his once-again bride.

"I... I... guess I am. It's just a surprise," she at last said, "I guess I knew this before, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. I was hoping that you'd remember on your own but that never happened. I love you, Susan, I just wanted you to remember on your own, that's all."

"Well, I guess we can have pizza for dinner. Is that all right?"

"That's fine," he answered, glad that he had said it all. It had been bothering him for some time, unsure what to do but he had finally done it. "I'll show you the books later tonight, how's that?"

"OK," was all she could say, still sitting in shock as he pushed himself up from the side of the sofa and leaning against his cane. "Are you going to call?"

"Yes, I'll do it."

A half-hour later, she was tipping the delivery girl fifty dollars as she took the pizza into the house, following what Jerry had said to do. He always tipped twenty to fifty dollars to people that worked hard.

That evening, he sat with her in the living room and once again showed her the ten books outlining all his holdings aside from the houses. "Here," he said, passing one binder after another from Bank of America, followed by Chase. She knew she should have been familiar with the Chase papers but didn't remember any of it.

"You set up our bookkeeping system for the houses and I had shown you these papers when we first married. I'm doing it again."