Homecoming

Mike was outside the door, and I heard and watched Michelle tell him goodbye. It wasn't "good night," as in, "I'll see you later," it was goodbye as, "I won't see you again."

When she came to me and kissed me on the lips, I asked her, "What was that all about?"

"I discovered it wasn't going to work out again, I'm over him." She wrapped her arms around me, leaned back a little and said, "I wanted to be with my husband. Let's go for a drive in our new car." I could not have been more pleased!

I was all for it, kind of anxious myself to do that. We went down to the parking lot and Michelle climbed in behind the wheel of her new toy and put the top down. We were both excited to finally take this thing out and play with it. It was a little cool out and Michelle was still wearing her backless dress, so we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick her up a sweater. I couldn't help but laugh a little at the incongruity of her wearing a custom-made dress that she said was over four-thousand dollars and a twelve-ninety-five sweater from Wal-Mart.

She drove up to Snoqualmie Falls, laughing and playing with her new car, telling me it felt more like driving a really cool go-kart than a car. The top was down, and we loved the feeling of the cool wind blowing over us. Neither of us had ever been in a convertible before. It wasn't quite like Kristen's Corvette had been, but it was pretty darned cool...and it was ours! We kind of wished it took more than forty-five minutes to get there.

After she parked the car, Michelle and I walked hand-in-hand over to a bench overlooking the falls. They had colored lights shining on them making it beautiful to just sit and watch. Michelle scooted next to me, laid her head on my shoulder, and we sat like that, snuggled together with my arm around her, watching the falls and listening to the roar of the water for probably an hour in the middle of the night. What a wonderfully, perfect evening it was turning out to be! Over the past couple months, I'd forgotten how good life could be. A few other people come and went, but we had our bench to ourselves.

When we left to go back to our hotel, Michelle handed me the keys, telling me it was my turn. I felt like a kid with a new toy on Christmas Day. That thing was fun to drive, kind of like a hot, wet dream come true! I asked her why she hadn't ever said anything sooner about wanting a car like that?

"And what would you have said, sweetheart?" she asked me.

She had me there, I'd have told her we couldn't afford it. We probably could have, but it was an extravaganza we wouldn't ever have actually bought. I'd have probably told her that this time too, if she'd asked me instead of just doing it, even with that money in the bank. I was damn glad she'd just done it, instead of discussing it first.

Speaking of the money in the bank, the next day, on our way home, Michelle told me that Brett told her that he'd have his accountant help with our taxes that year, plus he'd pay any taxes due. So, that money in the bank was basically going to be tax-free!

But I jumped ahead of myself a little. When Michelle and I got back to the hotel, we played with our car a little, putting the top up and down a couple times, marveling at how smoothly it worked. It was a hard top that hid away in the trunk. Much more importantly, when we went to bed that night, we made perhaps the sweetest love of our lives!

In the morning at breakfast, Michelle said she'd like to see Jeremy before we went home. She called his cell phone and didn't get an answer. She checked and discovered she had put his mom's number in her contact list as well, so she called her. She answered, but said he was out with his girlfriend until about three that afternoon. She told Michelle that she had the girlfriend's number and would call her to let him know we'd be there about three that afternoon. She told Michelle that he was living at home during the summer, and was working until school started. When Michelle hung up she was beaming at the fact that Jeremy had a girlfriend and how pleased his mom had seemed to hear from her. She'd asked his mom if it was okay to meet him with his girlfriend there and was assured he'd be thrilled.

We had several hours until three, so went to Pike Place Market, a huge, permanent outdoor market on the Seattle waterfront. We bought a few little trinkets, had an artist draw a caricature of both of us, and of course, bought a salmon to take home. You can't go to Pike Place Market without buying a salmon.

That afternoon, we zipped to Jeremy's house in our little car, getting there a little after three. Jeremy met her at the door and hugged her vociferously. His girlfriend was there as well. Jeremy reminded Michelle that her name was Belinda, the waitress they'd met that night at Shari's Restaurant. She said she's going to school to learn to be a nurse. Jeremy seemed to beam with everything Belinda said or did. We stayed and visited for about an hour.

When we left, Jeremy gave Michelle another very affectionate hug and asked her to please keep in touch. Judy, Jeremy's mom, walked us to the car and thanked Michelle profusely, telling her that Jeremy had opened up, and was so much happier now than before. She said we'd always have a friend with them. Michelle told her that the thanks should be hers, how much she'd enjoyed her time with him. She also told Judy, "If I was younger and single, Belinda would have serious competition for him." Michelle laughed and said, "She wouldn't have a chance."

We enjoyed our drive home. The trip over Snoqualmie Pass is beautiful and in that little Miata with the top down, was so much fun. Michelle drove and I couldn't stop glancing over and marveling at the woman beside me with her beautiful hair blowing in the wind. It was undoubtedly the best trip home from Seattle in my life.

Michelle was pleased when we got home and stepped foot in our house for the first time in nearly two months. I'd meticulously cleaned every nook and cranny, inside and out. What else did I have to do those last couple weeks? It made me feel like I was actually accomplishing something, that her return home was actually getting close.

Monday, my workday was the most pleasant in recent memory. It's simply amazing what a difference it makes to know your beautiful woman is going to be there when you get home! She didn't disappoint me either. When I got home that evening, I smelled the odors of fresh, homemade lasagna and bread wafting through the house. She greeted me with the news that she'd called the law firm and was going back to work the following Monday, August 22nd.

Then she said she had another surprise waiting for me. She led me into our bedroom and had me sit on the edge of our bed. She looked at our ceiling, smiled and said, "We have to have a mirror there." Then she placed her left foot on my lap and handed me the new wire cutters she'd bought earlier in the day. Her intention was obvious. I took the wire cutter from her, put the blade around her anklet chain and cut it off her ankle. I handed her the cut anklet, she placed it in her jewelry box and closed the lid.