Theresa wakes up feeling frisky the morning of Valentine’s Day. Today is the day she reveals the surprise. After 45 years of marriage to Alan, she finally came up with a great gift idea for her husband. She has always been terrible at gift giving, not having the creative flair, at all.
Rolling over and sitting on the side of the bed, she thinks about how happy he will be. The gift will be the experience of a lifetime. She stands up carefully holding on to the bedside table. Realizing she is stooping over, she straightens her posture. She takes in a deep breath and turns to look at her husband who is sleeping soundly. He looks so peaceful. Their elderly cat, Rocky, is laying on the bed, near Alan’s head.
Theresa slips on her house shoes and her bathrobe, grabs her cane and slowly makes her way to the kitchen to start the coffee pot, with the cat following close behind. While the coffee is brewing, she sits at her kitchen table and double checks her notes to make sure that everything is in order. She has never been so excited in all her years of marriage. Rocky weaves between her legs back and forth, before laying down under the table at her feet.
“Oh, I sure hope he will be as excited about this trip as I am,” she says aloud.
“Honey, I love you to the moon and back,” Alan says sweetly.
She quickly covers her paperwork and swivels towards Alan’s voice. “Hey, you’re supposed to be sleeping.” She looks behind her, then to either side then swivels around on her chair. “What in the world. Where are you?”
There is no answer from her husband this time.
Rocky has jumped up on the table looking towards the kitchen door that enters the living room.
“Well, that is the strangest thing,” she says looking at Rocky. “Did you hear Daddy?”
Rocky chatters and starts rubbing up against her, offering purrs. He gets pets in exchange.
Getting up from the kitchen table, she walks slowly to the coffee pot to pour herself a cup, clearly perplexed. “Let’s go see if Daddy is in the bathroom, kittycat.”
She and Rocky walk out of the kitchen to the living room. She stops in front of the foyer table and sets her cup down. She looks into the mirror to straighten her hair a bit.
Out of nowhere, she sees two eyes without a face in the mirror appear about six feet behind her. Startled, she instinctively turns quickly to see — nothing.
Turning back towards the mirror, she sees the eyes again. This time, the eyes are right next to her, as if a person is shoulder to shoulder. Then she recognizes these handsome eyes. These are Alan’s eyes. Rocky jumps up on the foyer table and looks right at the eyes without a face. He purrs and dances.
“What in the world? Am I dreaming?” Now anxious, she grabs her cane and walks to the bedroom. When she arrives at the bedroom door, she sees her husband, lying in bed, still sleeping peacefully. “Well, I never.”
She walks over to Alan’s side of the bed and softly strokes his cheek. “Wake up, honey,” she says in a whisper. No response. She feels a hand on her shoulder. She quickly turns and sees nothing.
“Darling Theresa, I’m here.” Alan’s sweet, disembodied voice is whispering into her ear.
Confused, she looks again at her husband in the bed. She takes his face with both hands and moves his head back and forth. “Alan, wake up,” she says sternly. “Dammit, Alan, I have a gift for you, wake up.”
His body doesn’t respond. But, the sweet voice says, “I’m so sorry honey, I left my body last night. I watched you sleeping after I left. You are so pretty when you sleep.”
“Oh, I am not, Alan.” Heartbroken, she wearily sits on the side of the bed placing her face in her hands. She straightens, sighs heavily and looks around for those handsome eyes without a face. “Well, your timing stinks, mister.” She feels him sit next to her on the bed and put his arm around her. She tilts her head as if placing it on his shoulder. “Will you stay with me?” she asks.
“Forever, my love.”