Date Night

”Did you want a cup of coffee?”

“Thanks,” Sandi said.

I brought her coffee to her in the living room.

“Are the boys asleep?” I asked.

“I think they’ve drifted off. Date night?”

“You bet.”

“What do you want to watch?”

“You.” I turned the chair to face her instead of the TV and sat down, looking at Sandi’s smile.

“Is there anything you want to talk about?”

I sipped my coffee.

“Nothing in particular. Did I tell you what Tracy said about James during trash pickup?  He raced ahead of her to pick up pieces of trash.”

“Our James?  I almost have to threaten him.”

“He’s growing up. Maybe he’s trying to impress females, no matter what the age,” I said, making Sandi laugh.

“Maybe I should tell him I’m a female, too.”

“You’re just Mom. That makes you special, so he can ignore you.”

“That isn’t much comfort,” she said, taking a sip. “Kaylee dog bolted and got out today. You should have seen Ian. I was still putting on my shoes when he went out with a leash to get her.”

“Did he?”

“You should have seen how he did it! He sat down in the front of the neighbor’s yard and snagged her when she ran back to him” She laughed again. “He took her to the backyard to play. When they finally came back in, she just collapsed in the middle of the floor and fell asleep.”

We talked about little things, mostly the boys, for an entire pot of coffee while the time flew.

We discovered years ago that when we do that, we maintain the weave of the tapestry that is our lives. It’s not hard, but it is special. We simply talk and enjoy the company of the one we love.

William R. Bartlett lives in Belton with his family.