A large balloon bouquet floated in the doorway. Hiding all but the feet of the person holding them.
"Surprise!" yelled Jane.
"Where are you?"
"You'll just have to search me."
I peeled through the balloons, finally finding her face in the framed collage of color.
I kissed her.
"Take these before I float away."
I took the bouquet and we went in the house.
"Here."
She gave me a card.
"Mike, One day at a time. Love, Jane."
She held a bottle, of what looked like champagne but was sparkling apple cider.
I popped it open and poured us each a glass.
"A toast," she said. "To you."
"To you." Before I knew it, she leaned over and put her lips to my glass-- eyes staring me down. I tilted the cider to her mouth and she drank.
"Your turn." she announced, taking my glass. "But you have to shut your eyes."
I paused, uncertain, when she slyly added, "Don't you trust me?"
I shut my eyes, feeling her body lean close. Her lips touched mine and soon I realized bubbled cider was entering my mouth from hers.
Jane had taken the day off and the two of us went to one of the local theme parks.
Jane clutched my arm, screamed in my ear and had her eyes tightly shut for the entire rollercoaster ride.
"That was great," she said. "Let's do it again."
"What did you say?" I asked. "Someone was screaming so loud, I've gone deaf."
She looked at me and smiled, hitting my shoulder playfully.
We ate hot-dogs, sipped sodas and watched a parade of costumed cartoon characters pass us by.
"I want to go on one more ride." Jane said.
"The one with the double loop?"
She nodded no, shooting me a glance. "The dark and slow one."
"They don't have a dark and slow one. But I know one that you strap yourself in as it goes up and down up and down."
She smiled. "Really?"
We held hands as the merry-go-round took us in circles. She looked at me, I looked at her-- and then we smiled to ourselves. After all, there were children around.
