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Anniversary



She is tired of walking all day. Her feet hurt. She wriggles them out of her sneakers and tries to massage them a little. It is a little hard to do because her whole body hurts from the hours on the trek. It had been fun, but tiring. He holds her feet then, and massages them slowly.

"Hey!!" She protests, not really used to having someone touch her feet. 

It is two weeks after their wedding. 

"Hmm" he says with a smile in his voice, "never heard of a husband massaging his wife's feet? See, I am a catch." 

"More like - Not used to people touching my feet - mister." She laughs.

She is still not comfortable with it, so she pulls her feet away.

----

Two months later

----

She crashes down on the bed. He follows and sits on the edge.

"What's up?"  He asks. 

"I am not used to so much walking around anymore." She puts her feet in his lap. He looks at them and back at her questioningly. 

"Massage please" she says.

"I thought you didn't like your feet being touched." He smiles.

"I didn't either. But I guess walking around one of the world's largest cities for hours would make one want that. You know, I didn't know you had never seen my city in your entire life. When you said you hadn't been here in a long time I thought you meant you had visited before. Not that you had only ever passed it in a train. Why would you lead me to think that?" She tries to sit up to see his face but he pushes her back down.

"What can I say, big city girl...I was afraid you'd think I am not well-traveled enough."

"Really?" She kicks him a little with her right foot. "You are crazy,  country boy."

"Yeah, for you."

Both laugh.

----

Three years later

----

*Looks around the room.*

"I live here. Wow. This is my room. My 'effects'. There is too much putting-down-roots material here. I need to get rid of it. But I like those paintings. Hmm, that's the latest one. Over to the left is the one I made when I first moved to this house. That one there is the first one I made after the divorce. Hmm, my audience seems to really like it. If only they saw it the way I see it. If only I had the courage to do to it what I had started out with a plan to do...but then, I mean, I am not at that phase anymore. Why ruin a beautiful work of art? Forget it."

*Looks around the room again*

"Hmm, this room sure looks beautiful. And romantic."

 *laughs* 

"I'd really like to be in the arms of my man right now."

*shakes her head* 

"My man. Oh boy, was he ever mine."

*smiles and dims the light from the lamp on the nightstand*

"Well, it is kind of good, I can focus on more important things now."

"Like what?" Someone asks inside her.

"Like my education"

"That you don't want" The same someone chides.

"Well, okay, okay I'll try harder. I know, I know I have to work in the morning. Its getting late in the night. But you know, it would have been my third anniversary tonight."

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