Bonnie could hear the sound of children laughing from a park nearby, the joyful chorus riding the light breeze of the spring evening through her open car window. Traffic was light and the song on the radio was cheery and all the makings were there for this to be a perfect day.
As she pulled into the store's parking lot she mentally ran through her list. Frank was making dinner tonight and had asked her to pick some peppers up on her way home. This year's garden had been giving them a seemingly endless supply of tomatoes, but peppers were few and far between.
She kept a leisurely pace as she made her way through the aisles, filling her basket as she went. There was no urgency to her life anymore. She worked a regular eight hours a day and was always home in time for dinner. Things were good and she was finally happy. She grabbed a small rectangular box off the shelf. This was the way life was supposed to be.
She smiled at the gum-snapping teen as he scanned the box and bagged it with the rest of her groceries. The waiting had her stomach doing flips. Tonight would be another step forward in their new life – their better life.
By the time she got home Frank was already there in the kitchen. His lips tasted of something sweet and a little spicy. He was sampling as he cooked. And what was that look on his face as she emptied the contents of the grocery bag? Keen anticipation. He kissed her once more before turning back to the stove.
They talked about how their days had gone. Frank was almost certain he would be getting that promotion. There had been a busker performing outside the store and Bonnie had bought one of her CD's. She was certain he'd like it, but Frank was doubtful. They talked about the camping trip they were going on that weekend. They needed to remember to get insect repellent before they left.
It was a calm and easy give-and-take that they had. When Frank had first suggested this life Bonnie hadn't taken him seriously. It sounded too perfect and things just didn't work out like that for the two of them. But now here they were and she never felt alone and she never felt scared. And they had done all the things they'd said they would and more. They hiked and explored, they had normal jobs, spent their weekends just basking in each other's company without a care in the world.
And they loved each other. Were they soulmates? Probably not. But they were enough for each other. They understood each other in a way that no one else ever likely would and each got genuine pleasure from seeing the other happy. And that happiness happened more often now. Really, what mattered most was that they finally felt free. They had created the perfect life for themselves.
Frank caught Bonnie's hand in his. Her fingers had been tapping on the counter as she was deep in thought. Did she want to do it now? They had said after dinner, but really, why wait? So they sat with the test in front of them waiting for the final piece of the dream they had created together to be realized. Bonnie picked it up and read off the display.
"Not pregnant."
There was a brief moment of silence before they surprised themselves by both releasing sighs of relief. And with those sighs a crack emerged amidst all the perfection.
They didn't talk about it after that. They didn't need to. After all, they knew each other better than anyone else. They both knew what the shared thought was. They had done good up until this point. They'd managed to convince even themselves that they were okay. But the reality that they could no longer deny was that they were still the same broken people they'd always been. And how could they bring an innocent life into this facade they'd created. As much as they wanted it to, it wouldn't work with anyone else. And so all the secrets and the pain and hurt would stay just between the two of them until it eventually died away with them. It was as close to perfect as they'd ever get.