Happy Birthday
Part of my Mary/Bert series, written for the 10_quotes community at LiveJournal. Inspired by the quote "'Shall I light the candles?' 'It's a must! Gracious living-wise,'" from "The Apartment".
A few months after Bert's return from war, Mary prepared a special dinner for the two of them. It was his birthday, his thirty-third, and Mary had a very important present for him. After their dinner and the cake they sat in the parlour, curled up together on the sofa, enjoying each other's company. As they sat there, it grew dark, and Bert finally spoke.
"Shall I light the candles?"
She nodded. "It's a must! Gracious living-wise," she replied, and he chuckled. That was his Mary, practically perfect in every way. He stood up from the sofa and lit the candles, rather than the electric lights. She smiled up at him and he rejoined her.
"Bert, I have a present for you," she said, handing him a small, brightly-wrapped package. He opened it eagerly, revealing a small bottle.
"What is it?" he asked her, confused.
"You know that I will have a much longer life than most people," Mary said, and Bert nodded. "Well this will ensure that you will life as long as me."
"Really, Mary?" he asked her, looking at the small bottle in wonder.
"Really, Bert," she replied. He smiled at her.
"Oh, I love you," he whispered, kissing her lightly, before opening the bottle and drinking all of the liquid. It tasted lovely, like hot rum toddy. He set the bottle down and looked at his wife. She was beautiful, so lovely – he tenderly caressed her cheek and drew her into a kiss. She rested her hands against his chest, smiling against his lips as they continued to kiss.
"Bert," she whispered, breaking out of the kiss, "I love you."
"And I love you, my darlin' Mary," he replied. "I love you. And now – now we have all the time in the world."
"That we do, my love," she replied, kissing him again. He pushed her back against the arm of the sofa and trailed kisses down her collarbone. Afterwards, she smiled up at him softly. "Happy birthday, my darling," she whispered.
"Thank you, Mary," he replied. "Thank you."