“No,” he said immediately. “It’s not the same. Twelve years is not just any date. We deserve to celebrate it on the exact day.”
That should have made me feel even more disappointed.
Instead, it made me even more excited for the plan I was about to unveil.
That night, while he slept soundly, I bought a plane ticket.
I was going to be on the same flight he was scheduled on.
I imagined his face when we landed.
Me stepping off in the red dress he loved when I tried it on the last time we went shopping.
He had said I looked stunning in it, and I had pretended not to like it.
However, the next day, while he was gone to work, I went back to get it because I knew he would love seeing me in it on our upcoming anniversary.
I imagined him laughing in surprise, maybe pulling me into one of those kisses that make people look away politely in public.
We would grab a hotel near the airport, order bad room service, and tell the story for years.
That morning, I curled my hair more carefully than I had in months.
I did my makeup twice because my hands were shaking with excitement.
When I slipped on the red dress, I stood in front of the mirror and actually blushed at myself, which at 38 felt ridiculous and wonderful.
I looked like a woman still in love with her husband. And I was.
At the gate, I nearly ruined everything.
Daniel was standing by the jet bridge in full uniform, talking with his first officer and laughing at something I couldn’t hear.
Even from 20 feet away, he had that calm, steady presence people trusted without thinking.
He looked handsome in uniform, his broad shoulders standing out and his clean-cut hair, making him look younger.
His wedding ring gleamed when he lifted a hand. He was the same man I had loved since I was 26.
My heart jumped like I was young again.
I ducked behind a pillar before he could spot me and actually laughed at myself. I felt ridiculous, giddy, and stupidly happy.
I boarded with the last group, slipped into seat 14C, pulled my hair forward, and kept my face down.
The plane filled around me with the ordinary noises of people settling in.
