Image Credit: Pexels- Leloo The First
One afternoon, Gracie’s dark brown eyes lit up with excitement as her owner, Ethel, came home from work. Gracie walked over to Ethel, and she started whining for more food because she was hungry. Ethel kicked off her brown penny loafers and said, “Hold on a minute, Gracie. I have to check for the mail and the newspaper first, and then I’ll feed you.” Gracie started pacing back and forth, whining even more because she realized she wasn’t getting food right that second. Like any dog everywhere, Gracie always got very impatient when her every demand was not being fulfilled, but she knew Ethel would feed her sooner or later.
Once Ethel came back inside after grabbing the mail and the newspaper, she walked out to the kitchen with Gracie following close behind her. Gracie knew when it was dinner time because she always had to wait for Ethel to fill up her food and water bowls. Ethel walked over to the giant gray storage bin where she kept Gracie’s food, and she filled the food scoop with dog chow and then filled Gracie’s bowl. Once Gracie had food and water, she let out a loud bark as if she was thanking Ethel for feeding her.
As Gracie was eating in the kitchen, Ethel sat in the white chair at her dining room table, and she began working on the latest crossword puzzle in the newspaper. The daily crossword puzzles were often a challenge for her at the end of a long workday, but Ethel really enjoyed them. While Ethel was working all day at the hair salon, listening to women gossip about their daily lives and telling funny stories about their husbands, she often wondered what this evening would bring when her husband, Harold, would get home from work. The two of them always had dinner together, and since tonight was their anniversary, he planned to take her out to their favorite Italian restaurant and then out for ice cream. After they finished getting ice cream, they planned to bring Gracie home a cup of vanilla ice cream. Since she’s a dog, it was only going to be a small cup of ice cream, so Gracie didn’t get a bellyache.
After Gracie finished eating her dinner, she walked over to Sadie and lay on the floor by her feet, and Ethel couldn’t help but think how lucky she was to have such an obedient dog. Gracie liked long walks, taking naps, but her favorite thing of all was spending time with Ethel and Harold. Before both Ethel and Gracie knew it, Harold arrived home from a long day working at the office, where he was a financial analyst. His job always kept him very busy. He didn’t work on Wall Street or anything, but he owned his own company and worked with a fantastic team of men who always did their best to do honest work.
Harold was carrying a bouquet of light pink roses, and as he handed them to Ethel, he kissed her on the lips and said, “Happy Anniversary, Ethel. I’m so glad that we’ve gotten to spend the last thirty years together.” Ethel thanked him, and the two of them took a seat in the living room to rest for a bit before going to dinner. When Gracie saw Harold sitting in his oversized brown recliner, she decided to jump into his lap and lie in it. There’s nothing she and Harold loved more than sitting together in front of the television every evening. Usually, while they watched television, Ethel was knitting a blanket or sewing the latest quilt. But tonight, they were heading out soon to enjoy their anniversary at their favorite Italian restaurant, Anthony’s, where they would order savory pasta and talk about how they’ve spent the last thirty years together.
After both Ethel and Harold got changed and were ready to go to dinner, they both said goodbye to Gracie, and off they went on that night’s adventure. Harold opened the car door for Ethel, and she climbed inside. Once their seatbelts were on and they were both in the car, they began driving to the restaurant. When they got to the restaurant, Harold opened Ethel’s door for her, and they walked into the restaurant holding hands. The hostess was a young, short brunette girl named Carolina, and when Harold told her that he had a reservation, Lena smiled with delight and said, “Right this way, sir. We will seat you and your lovely wife at our finest table this evening.” Once Ethel and Harold were seated at the table, they began looking at their menus even though they already knew what they were both going to order. Ethel always ordered the cheese ravioli, and Harold always ordered spaghetti, but since their orders were always so big, they always ended up sharing both of their meals like any couple.
After both of them ordered their meals, they stared longingly into each other’s eyes because they were both so lucky to have each other. Ethel raised her glass of water in a toast to Harold and said, “Thank you for putting up with me for the last thirty years, Harold. I love you and I am so grateful to have you in my life.” Harold smiled at her and replied, “I love you too, Ethel.” Once their meals arrived, they smiled, laughed, and talked to one another about all of their greatest adventures in life that they’ve shared.
Once their dinner was finished, they paid for their meal and left the restaurant. Then the two of them were going out for ice cream at Ben’s Creamery, which was their favorite ice cream place in town. Normally, when they went, Ethel always ordered a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream in a cup, and Harold always ordered chocolate and vanilla with sprinkles on top of it. The reason they were both always so fond of going to Ben’s Creamery was that it was where you could get the best homemade ice cream. After they got their ice cream, the two of them sat on a bench and watched a beautiful sunset that was yellow, orange, and pink. The sunset was one of the most beautiful ones they had seen in a while. After they finished their ice cream, they ordered a small vanilla ice cream cone for Gracie, and they began driving home.
Once Ethel and Harold got inside, Gracie ran towards them excitedly because she saw the vanilla ice cream cone in Ethel’s hand. The ice cream was already melting a little by the time they got it home to Gracie, so as Gracie licked the ice cream, she got a lot of it all over her fur. Once she finished the ice cream cone, she licked a few drops of melted ice cream off the floor and let out a huge bark, thanking Harold and Ethel for her ice cream.
Harold pulled Ethel into a giant hug and kissed her on the lips and said, “I wouldn’t want to live my life any other way or with anyone else. I love it exactly the way it is.” Ethel smiled and said, “I love it too.”
This was written by our editor-in-chief and founder, Hanna Peters.
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