Photographs

It was 3 PM and Amanda sat down in her favorite chair. It was where she always went to relax. But today was different. She was far too upset to relax. Her husband had not paid any attention to her. He didn’t even notice that anything was wrong. He just sat there, in his favorite chair, enjoying the game on ESPN. She gave a mean and evil glance at Henry but did not say a word. Henry glanced back with a puzzled look on his face. She got up, pointed at the calendar, and glanced at him again. She wasn’t just pointing to the calendar itself. It was more so the day on the calendar. A very special day. He hunched his shoulder and continued to watch the game.

Amanda walked over to him, grabbed the remote, and turned the TV off. She then stormed off to the bedroom and slammed the door behind her, crying and muttering what could have been profanities under her breath, although no real words came out of her mouth. Just sounds. She was able to hear the TV turn back on. How could it be possible that he forgot? How could he not care enough to even ask what was wrong with her? Henry just smiled. She felt like strangling him. She was more upset than ever. She was almost too upset to notice the 3 pictures lying on the bed. She almost threw them on the floor. As soon as she saw them her whole expression changed. Her heart softened. She felt bad for doubting him. She started to smile. Even laugh. He fooled her. He did remember.

The pictures were of her. In the first one, she was wearing a slender red dress with the back out. It was similar to the dress she wore on their first date. She wanted Italian but settled for Greek. Although she didn’t like the food, she still had a great time. It was the company she enjoyed most. Not the place.

The next was of her standing next to a yellow cab. The cab driver was Mike, a friend of theirs who drove the Limo on their wedding night. They had gone to Bartolini’s. It’s not 5 stars but it was Italian. On top of that, the food was not that bad. This was the night that he proposed to her. The 5k cubic zirconia ring was visible on her finger. It wasn’t the largest ring. It wasn’t a diamond. But she would have been happy with a piece of string wrapped around her finger.

The last one, she was standing outside of a restaurant in Italy. They had gone there on their first anniversary. She had on what he thought was the prettiest blue dress he had ever seen. It matched her pretty blue eyes perfectly. She had the biggest smile on her face that anyone had ever seen. She had waited until they were on their way home before telling him that she was pregnant. He was overjoyed. He was going to be a father. Her joy was increased by his.

As she thought about the pictures and the memories they invoked, she knew what he was planning. Dinner at an Italian restaurant. She walked out of the bedroom much more cheerfully than she went in. Before she could do anything, she noticed 3 pictures hanging on the wall. She wondered if they were hanging there the whole time. Just like the other 3, they were of her.

In the first one, she was standing in front of an old movie theater in Chicago. She knew what movie it was right away. The year was 2018. It was their 5th anniversary. He took her to a reboot of a movie she enjoyed as a child. In the original movie, a spoiled rich lady fell off her yacht, hit her head, and got amnesia. In the reboot, a spoiled rich man fell into the water. She didn’t like the movie as much as the original. But she enjoyed spending time with Henry.

The second picture was taken just a few months later. She was holding their oldest child’s hand while carrying the middle child in her arms and the youngest in her belly. Henry would have taken the children, but he was taking the picture. They also were headed to the movies. Although this was for the kids, she knew she would enjoy it. It was the long-awaited sequel to an animated movie about a family of superheroes. Henry Jr. really loved it. He didn’t have to use the bathroom even once. Sarah loved it also. The only time she cried was when the movie was going off. While Amanda really loved the movie, her greatest joy was spending time with her family.

The last picture was taken when they were leaving the movie theater. She could not remember what movie she had gone to see. All she remembered was that less than 10 minutes into it, her water broke. She wondered why he would include this picture, but the theme is each picture was movies. This could only mean, Dinner and a movie.

She came back to her loving husband and tenderly kissed him. Shortly after, her parents came in and reassured her that she didn’t have to worry about the kids. They would watch them the entire time. They got into the car and drove off.

Henry reached into the glove compartment and brought out 3 more pictures. This time they were not pictures of her. They were all from a resort hotel. Top of the line. Very beautiful. She was even more happy. This is where they would be spending the weekend.

Before he could surprise her anymore, she had a surprise for him. She reached into her purse and pulled out 3 photos. Each one was an ultrasound photo. Each one was of a different child. They were not of the 3 children they just left with her parents.