After 40 years a husband is still crazy for his drop dead gorgeous wife.
*
"Hey, baby, get up. It's a beautiful day, Karen," said Walter turning and reaching around to give his wife a kiss on the lips. "Happy Anniversary, sweetheart."
She was still asleep with her back turned to him and he sat on the edge of the bed watching her sleep. After all this time, you'd think he'd grow tired of her, even a little sick of her, but he didn't. He never did.
The love of his life, she completed him. She made him a better man. She gave him meaning to continue on, even when his new dawns were the darkest and his days looked the most dismal. He wouldn't want to go on living life without her and he hoped that God would take him first, when the time came.
"The power of positive thought, Walter," is what she always said to him, when he was down in the dumps. "Stop being so negative and be more positive. Smile that doom and gloom away."
She made him a better man. She made him the man that he was now. After 40 years of marriage, he was still crazy for his drop dead, gorgeous wife and who wouldn't be? She was so very beautiful and even now more than forty years later, that's how he still saw her. He still saw her as the young, beautiful woman that he wanted more than anything, so very long ago.
With long, lush, blonde hair and brightly shining, blue eyes, they were just kids the first time they met, barely 18-years-old. Dating for years, waiting to complete their education, they finally married when they were both 24-years-old. A time when sex and sexuality wasn't as open as it is now, the time they spent together dating was a long frustrating wait for him. Wanting to get married in the church wearing white, she wanted to remain a virgin, as was her mother and her grandmother, before her wishes, on their wedding days. Out of respect for her, abstaining from having sexual intercourse, they did everything else, of course, but that.
She had big boobs, a C cup that grew to a D cup later in life, after she gained a few pounds. He loved her big tits and always enjoyed showing her off to other men by having her wear low cut blouses or tight sweaters. Everyone said she could have been Christie Brinkley's older sister and she was approached constantly by men, who wanted her to model or have them shoot her picture for this publication or that publication.
He couldn't walk in a restaurant with her without men turning in their chairs to stare. Oh, yeah, she was that good looking and he never understood why a good looking dame like her would want to marry an ugly bum like him. Happy to be his wife and the mother of his children, she turned them all down out of respect for him, as he was a jealous man.
"God, I love this woman. She's so sexy," he said for no one to hear, while he ran his hand along the curves of her sleeping body. "Even after all this time, she still excites me."
This was the first day of summer, their anniversary, 40 years today. He was horny and he was hoping she was, too. There was no better way to celebrate their wedding anniversary, especially one as auspicious as their 40th than having hot sex early in the morning. It's been a while, since they've been as wicked to have sex in broad daylight. She prefers the dark. Still shy and modest, probably because she's gained a few pounds, she still gets undressed and puts her nightgown on with the light off or in the bathroom. To him, she was curvaceous and voluptuous. The extra weight looks good on her tall frame.
"Happy Anniversary, baby. I bought you a surprise," he said not caring that she was still sleeping and talking to her, as if she was wide awake. Lonely without her, he was excited and he couldn't wait to show her the anniversary present he had taken care to get for her. "It's downstairs waiting for you on the kitchen table, along with your breakfast," he said looking at her sleeping so soundly.
He started wondering about her. She's been sleeping more and more lately. She was suddenly always so tired. He wondered if she needed a multi-vitamin. It's been a while, since she's seen a doctor. He'd ask her when her next doctor's appointment was, when she woke up from her beauty sleep.
Beauty sleep? His beauty didn't need any extra sleep. She was already the most beautiful woman to him. She cornered the market on beauty, that's for sure, when God was handing out looks. She could have been a movie star, she was so good looking and even better looking now, he thought, than she was back then.
They had some hard times lately, after he lost his job. Unable to afford to buy oil for the furnace, the winter was a real hardship. The coldest winter they had on record, they thought they were going to freeze to death. It was a good thing they had those extra blankets and down sleeping bags to put on the bed, but it was still cold. Still, that gave him reason to cuddle with her and to spoon her all night to keep her warm and to keep her safe.
Now that it was the summertime, unless he could find a job soon, before the first snowfall, he worried about having to endure another long, cold winter without heat. He wasn't as young as he used to be and the cold tore through his body and ached his bones. He wished he could save some of this summer warmth for the winter. If nothing else, having no heat gave them reason to stay in bed longer, under the blankets, where he hoped to have some hanky panky, but she always had an excuse, mostly she was tired and sleeping.
"You need to get some exercise, sweet cheeks," he said lightly patting her rump and shaking her in his feeble attempt to awaken her. "You stopped walking when the dog died last year. We should go for a walk later. The sun is already shining. Today promises to be a beautiful day. Karen? Hello? Are you still sleeping? I can't believe you're still sleeping."
He thought she was waking up, but she wasn't. It was still early, barely 8am and he had been up since 6am waiting for her to start the day, their special day, with him. He was always up early. He had a hard time sleeping. He was worried about losing the house, but he hadn't heard from the bank in a while, after the last foreclosure notice he received a couple of months ago.
Maybe they forgot about them. Maybe they'll let them slide. Maybe they know his financial situation with not having a job and all and feel bad for them. Maybe with so many other homes being foreclosed on, they'd leave them alone for several more months, until they both could get jobs and get back on their feet. Who knows, maybe he'll hit the lottery and all his problems would be solved.
"If I win the lottery Karen, I'll buy you that kitchen you always wanted and lusted over in those magazines. If I hit the lottery, I'll buy you a diamond ring," he said suddenly feeling sad that he never had enough money to buy her a diamond, instead giving her his college ring, when they were married. They had decided to save for a house instead but, once the kids came, there was always unexpected expenses. He always felt bad that he never bought her a diamond. "If I win the big jackpot, I'll buy you a fur coat, so you'll never be cold again. Okay, doll?"
Unprecedented in the way that this recession hit the middleclass, especially middle management, white collar workers like him, this economy was the worst one they had ever faced. Now they're talking about a double dip recession and a depression like they had in '29. Now they're talking about the housing market totally crashing and collapsing. What the Hell happened to this country with the rich still getting richer and everyone else unable to buy food, keep a roof over their head, afford healthcare, and refill prescription drugs.
He wondered why was it that every time a Republican took office, he was out of work. Starting with Tricky Dickie and Dutch, the Great Communicator, Pappa Bush was the worst, until Bush Junior eclipse him for putting guys like him out of a job. From Vietnam to Reagan's War on international terrorism, to the Gulf War, to Iraqi's Weapons of Mass Destruction, instead of fixing the economy, the Republican's start a war. While the rich get richer, they get poorer.
"Yeah, we should do something today, sugar lips, since it's our anniversary. We don't do any of the fun things we used to do. I can't remember the last time we saw a movie or went bowling. I can't remember, when we had someone over for a barbeque. Are you feeling okay, honey? C'mon, get up sleepy head. Let's do something to celebrate 40 happy years together."
Yeah, maybe that's what I'll do, he thought. I'll invite the neighbors over for a barbeque. I should open the pool this year, too. Last year was the first time we didn't open it. I couldn't get the kids out of the pool, when they were young. Boy, they loved that pool. I have so many memories of us inviting the neighbors over and barbequing.
Now, with his children living their own lives with their families on the other side of the country, we don't see them nearly enough anymore. He tried to remember the last time they visited. It will be two years this Christmas. With airfare rates higher than they used to be and so many people out of work, who can afford to travel anymore?
Only, as soon as he thought about inviting the neighbors over for a barbeque and opening the pool, he remembered he didn't have the money to spare for food and for chemicals to open the pool. With his unemployment exhausted, he needed a job but there were none, especially for someone his age. They all wanted the young guys, the kids half his age and younger. All he had was his social security and that wasn't nearly enough to cover everything.
"You know, Karen, I was wondering, since it's the first day of summer and our 40th anniversary, I might add, if, you know, well, I was wondering, if, uhm, we can start off the summer with a bit of summer lovin', what do you say? It's been a while since big Wally has gone for a ride in the funhouse, if you know what I mean. What do you say? Karen?"
