On a Special Date

His fingers had been tapping rhythmically onto the bed sheets for the last ten minutes. He hated going through it again. Waiting for his wife get dressed in the closet played on his nerves. ‘’Lisa,’’ Johnathan called out to his wife, but no answer followed except the sound of more clothes falling on the floor. He heard her utter a frustrated grunt and resume searching.

‘’Lisa, just pick a dress and let us go already.’’ His calls, as usual, were urgent reminders to her anxiety, because her half-formed sentences to appease his impatience were barely coherent while she tried on another dress. He stood away from the bed and made his way into the closet. "It's almost 10 in the evening. When do you think we will get to the restaurant?"

"It's our special monthly date, Johnathan. I have to find a suitable dress."

"It's getting too late," He repeated, watching her gather her long hair into a bun. "And I have work in the early morning."

"I know." A little sad sigh escaped her lips. "I'm done. It's just our usual date that we can't miss."

Leaning over him, Lisa reached behind him and picked her purse from the corner of the closet. But, her pick had caused an album to slip from the same shelve and thud on the floor. Johnathan squatted down and held the album in his hands. The look of its nostalgic cover moved something within him. He walked back to the bed to have a look on it.

"Come on Johnathan. It's not your turn to waste more time." Lisa said, giving a sideways glance to her husband as she proceeded to the door. When she made it to the door, it hit her that Johnathan hadn't moved from the bed yet. A wave of her silky dress flew charmingly as she whirled around.

"What is it? Are you suddenly fed up going to our usual date.’’

‘’I am."

Hearing this, her heart ached.

"But, so are you.’’ He added as he looked up from the album.

Though this came as surprise to her, his words caused a familiar pain to swelling through her bosom. The date had been on her mind since morning. But all her thoughts were a pure worry. Now that he said it, though, it did feel a bit of tedious to go on the date again. She also remembered how all of their previous dates had gone, utter boredom. In fact, it seemed almost pointless to go, for both of them had been too focused on fulfilling the date occasion rather than finding their missed joy.

When Johnathan returned his gaze to the pictures in the album, his face suddenly softened. He was smiling, and she felt an abrupt curiosity about the particular picture he was looking at. She slipped off her high heels and tiptoed to the bed.

Breaking off their habit gave her a sense of relief, oddly enough, a somewhat new experience they were about to live. She leaned closer to him and rested her head on his chest so as to have a good view of the album.

‘’Do you remember this one?’’ He pointed to a photo where Lisa was drinking coffee on their balcony. Her unconcerned gaze was focused ahead, as though unaware of the photographer.

"You were good a photographer." She admitted.

"I was?"

"You haven't taken a picture of me ever since this photo."

He frowned at her; then with a smirk, he flipped the page. "There is more to see, mistress."

The rest of the pictures had them laugh through the night as their hearts retrieved the long-gone feelings of their shared happiness.