The early morning spring breeze moved the curtains in the bedroom window. The couple lay snuggled, still in bed, reveling in the fact that in retirement they were not bothered by any reason to get out of bed at a fixed hour. The woman lay in the mans arms, her head on his chest, and they talked about what they had to do that day. While she was speaking, the woman went to pull out the rubber band that had held her long silver hair in a pony tail while she slept.
"Owch,"she muttered, as the rubber band caught and tangled in the long hair.
"Here, turn over honey. I'll get that for ya" the man said.
As the woman turned over to her stomach, and the man reached over to the little table by the bedside. There, the contents of his pants pockets were laid out when he had hung his pants over the chair. He picked up a small jackknife with well worn jigged bone scales, and opened the pointy clip blade. Sliding the blade into one layer of the rubber band, it parted with a twang, and the woman shook out the long silvery hair.
"Thank's babe!" she told her husband.
Much later, after a good breakfast, they were out in the garden. Being retired at long last, they both loved working in the back yard. A long plot of ground had been rototilled, and now bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatos and other crops grew. The woman was working on the tomato plants, and had a spool of jute twine in hand.
"Honey, can you cut me some lengths of the string"? About this long." She said as she held her hands apart.
The man reached into the jeans pocket and took out the little peanut. Twine was cut, and the woman started to tie up drooping plants. The man in the meantime had discovered little chews in some of the bell peppers, and knew he had to fence in the garden. He got out the wooden stakes, and again reached into the pocket and took out the peanut. He made a good point on each of the tall stakes, and drove them into the ground at intervals. Stringing out the chicken wire, he cut off pieces of the sturdy twine to tie the chicken wire to the stakes. It took a while, but the deed was done, and the garden safe. His wife joined him and they looked over their mornings work.
"Not bad for a couple of old farts, huh?" he said.
"Older, not old, unless you speak for yourself mister. " she told him. "Now how about some lunch?"
They decided to go for a ride and opened the garage door. As the man wheeled out the 1967 BMW R60, with the bullet nose Steib sidecar, the woman got their helmets. The woman had trouble with fastening her helmet, and the man reached under her chin and got it buckled. He stopped, looking down into his wife's eyes.
"What?" she asked.
"Just wondering if it's really been 40 years and three kids since I looked into those beautiful brown eyes and said 'I do."
Cruising out a country road, they went to a local BBQ place the knew about. The BBQ Texas style briskett was tasty, but the manual labor that morning had taken it's toll on older fingers. The woman was having a hard time with the plastic knife, even though the beef was tender. The man reached into his pocket, and took out the well used little peanut. The woman sliced right through the cooked beef, and as she cleaned of the BBQ sause with a paper napkin, she thanked her husband for the knife.
"Don't thank me, it was you that gave it to me all those years ago." he said.
"Well, you needed to replace that worn out big thing you used to carry. And, I wanted you to think of me everytime you put your hand in your pocket." she said with a mischievous grin. "Besides, life is too short for my husband not to have a pretty knife in his pocket."
Much later at home, his wife asked him to open a new bottle of detergent. Her hands had been bothering her, and the man knew she hated being slowed down by the arthritis she had in her hands. The man opened the bottle top, and took out the little peanut. Cutting around using the outer opening as a guide, he cut out the foil seal that was under the screw on top. Like his wife, he had some arthritis, but the little knife sliced away things he used to be able to just grab and rear off. He realized as a senior citizen, he actually used a knife more to open things than ever before in his life.
Much later, as they got ready for bed after watching a DVD, the woman was in the bathroom, and she cracked the door and asked for his knife. The man was a little mystified, but he had just emptied his pockets on the bedside table, and he handed her the knife, and she closed the door. Slipping into bed, the man was just closing his eyes when his wife emerged from the bathroom. She was dressed in a slinky sheer black teddy that showed her still slim figure well, and she slid down on top of him. She reached over and with a slight clunk, laid the peanut on the table. Looking down at her man, she shook out her long silver waist length main of hair.
"I thought it would look better without the price tag." she said with a smile. "So sailor, do you want the whole package?"
Outside, the weak silver moonlight illuminated the garden. A rabbit looked with longing at a big cucumber beyond the chicken wire. So near, yet so far. The rabbit stared at the garden, but then a long moaning, and a woman's voice yelling "Yes, YES!" scared off the rabbit.
"Owch,"she muttered, as the rubber band caught and tangled in the long hair.
"Here, turn over honey. I'll get that for ya" the man said.
As the woman turned over to her stomach, and the man reached over to the little table by the bedside. There, the contents of his pants pockets were laid out when he had hung his pants over the chair. He picked up a small jackknife with well worn jigged bone scales, and opened the pointy clip blade. Sliding the blade into one layer of the rubber band, it parted with a twang, and the woman shook out the long silvery hair.
"Thank's babe!" she told her husband.
Much later, after a good breakfast, they were out in the garden. Being retired at long last, they both loved working in the back yard. A long plot of ground had been rototilled, and now bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatos and other crops grew. The woman was working on the tomato plants, and had a spool of jute twine in hand.
"Honey, can you cut me some lengths of the string"? About this long." She said as she held her hands apart.
The man reached into the jeans pocket and took out the little peanut. Twine was cut, and the woman started to tie up drooping plants. The man in the meantime had discovered little chews in some of the bell peppers, and knew he had to fence in the garden. He got out the wooden stakes, and again reached into the pocket and took out the peanut. He made a good point on each of the tall stakes, and drove them into the ground at intervals. Stringing out the chicken wire, he cut off pieces of the sturdy twine to tie the chicken wire to the stakes. It took a while, but the deed was done, and the garden safe. His wife joined him and they looked over their mornings work.
"Not bad for a couple of old farts, huh?" he said.
"Older, not old, unless you speak for yourself mister. " she told him. "Now how about some lunch?"
They decided to go for a ride and opened the garage door. As the man wheeled out the 1967 BMW R60, with the bullet nose Steib sidecar, the woman got their helmets. The woman had trouble with fastening her helmet, and the man reached under her chin and got it buckled. He stopped, looking down into his wife's eyes.
"What?" she asked.
"Just wondering if it's really been 40 years and three kids since I looked into those beautiful brown eyes and said 'I do."
Cruising out a country road, they went to a local BBQ place the knew about. The BBQ Texas style briskett was tasty, but the manual labor that morning had taken it's toll on older fingers. The woman was having a hard time with the plastic knife, even though the beef was tender. The man reached into his pocket, and took out the well used little peanut. The woman sliced right through the cooked beef, and as she cleaned of the BBQ sause with a paper napkin, she thanked her husband for the knife.
"Don't thank me, it was you that gave it to me all those years ago." he said.
"Well, you needed to replace that worn out big thing you used to carry. And, I wanted you to think of me everytime you put your hand in your pocket." she said with a mischievous grin. "Besides, life is too short for my husband not to have a pretty knife in his pocket."
Much later at home, his wife asked him to open a new bottle of detergent. Her hands had been bothering her, and the man knew she hated being slowed down by the arthritis she had in her hands. The man opened the bottle top, and took out the little peanut. Cutting around using the outer opening as a guide, he cut out the foil seal that was under the screw on top. Like his wife, he had some arthritis, but the little knife sliced away things he used to be able to just grab and rear off. He realized as a senior citizen, he actually used a knife more to open things than ever before in his life.
Much later, as they got ready for bed after watching a DVD, the woman was in the bathroom, and she cracked the door and asked for his knife. The man was a little mystified, but he had just emptied his pockets on the bedside table, and he handed her the knife, and she closed the door. Slipping into bed, the man was just closing his eyes when his wife emerged from the bathroom. She was dressed in a slinky sheer black teddy that showed her still slim figure well, and she slid down on top of him. She reached over and with a slight clunk, laid the peanut on the table. Looking down at her man, she shook out her long silver waist length main of hair.
"I thought it would look better without the price tag." she said with a smile. "So sailor, do you want the whole package?"
Outside, the weak silver moonlight illuminated the garden. A rabbit looked with longing at a big cucumber beyond the chicken wire. So near, yet so far. The rabbit stared at the garden, but then a long moaning, and a woman's voice yelling "Yes, YES!" scared off the rabbit.
