I woke up very early Sunday morning for some reason. Cynthia was sleeping soundly next to me, and the apartment was quiet. I didn’t remember having a bad dream; I couldn’t figure it out. I wondered if I was still upset for Cynthia.

I tried to sneak out of bed, but she noticed.

“Are you coming back to bed, Baby? It seems very early.” Her voice was still dreamy.

“I don’t think so, Sweetie. Something woke me up, but I don’t know what it was. I’m sorry I woke you; try to sleep a little more.” I whispered.

“I think I will,” Cynthia yawned and laid her head on the pillow.

I went into the kitchen, but I didn’t want to start the coffee, I was afraid it would wake Cynthia up for good. I thought today is not going to be a red-letter day for her so let her sleep as long as possible.

I turned on the TV, just to read the news crawl—nothing interesting there either. I found my earbuds and hooked up my phone for some music. I was a little lost in the old country western flowing through my ears and resting my mind. I must have dozed off when that feeling of being watched crossed through my subconscious.

I opened my eyes, and Cynthia was standing there. She was in her robe, and her eyes were still in the focusing stage.

“What’s up, Baby?”

“I’m lonesome,” she sniffed.

“I’ll start the coffee.”

“I already did,” Cynthia whimpered.

“Okay, Baby, let me tuck up into the bed, and I’ll bring your coffee to you.” I held her and gave her a kiss.

“I have to go potty first.” I walked her to the bathroom.

I think she was hoping and praying she would not have this one. I think she wanted to be pregnant. It’s not that we haven’t been given every opportunity. I hope the coffee helps.

When I got into the bedroom with the coffee, Cynthia was sitting up and bed, her hair fixed and her makeup done. I handed her the cup, and she took it with a sheepish smile. She took a sip and hid behind the cup.

“I’m sorry, Baby,” Cynthia whispered.

“For what, Sweetheart,” I asked her softly.

“I was so fussy last night. I wasn’t fair to you.” Her voice was starting to crack.

“Sweetheart, please listen to me. You were very loving. You were very uncomfortable, you had a wonderful idea and plan to show me how much you love me. I can’t say I know how you’re feeling, but I understand.

"But you told me how much you love me when you cuddled beside me on the couch. You shared your feelings with me. I’m in this for the good and the bad of it. I know you love me, and you show me every minute of every day. You didn’t ruin anything last night, Baby.”

“I love you, Jack.” She sipped her coffee.

“Are you hungry? I'll make something for you if you want.” I sat on the edge of the bed next to her.

“No, no, no, no. I’ve been a baby long enough. My man is not going to spend his day in the kitchen. That is my place to care for my man. Now, go into the living room. I’ll bring you a fresh cup of coffee and make your morning meal.”

Cynthia had her heels dug in. God bless her; when she gets her mind made up, she will try to move Heaven and Earth. I heard her in the kitchen, pouring the coffee. When she brought it to me, I could tell Cynthia was hurting, but I could smell the ham and eggs.

She called me to the table and put a Sunday at Grandma’s breakfast in front of me. I was making short work of her efforts, but Cynthia was nibbling at her food. I offered to clean the kitchen. Cynthia said, “No." The discussion ended.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing or napping. We were in bed napping, and we woke up together.

“Jack, I don’t know why this time was so difficult. Thank you for being you,” she kissed me and gave me a big hug.

We had a light dinner and turned in early.

Monday morning, Cynthia came in with my coffee. She stood there smiling.

“I thought I’d change things us a bit. I wanted to bring my man his coffee for a change.”

“Thanks, Baby. How are you feeling this morning? I checked on you last night, and it seemed as though you were sleeping well.”

“Yes, thank you. Things have quieted down. I don’t know why it was so bad yesterday. Thank you for being so understanding. And I could feel you checking on me. You’re so sweet.” Cynthia’s smile was there, but she was still uncomfortable.

“Cynthia, I want you to take it easy today. Nothing is so important that it can’t wait until later. Okay? Please?” I was worried about her.

Cynthia made my breakfast as she always had, and the rest of our morning was as usual. When I left for work, she gave me a kiss and a hug.

When I walked into my office, I knew it was game on. I had planned to have Friday off to pick up Cynthia’s dress, but the mix-up in the survey had set us back a bit. I didn’t want to disappoint Cynthia, but I didn’t want Jennings or Lupton asking how much longer or when we could start. I tried moving the building a bit. That idea showed promise.

I asked Nancy what the best way would be to get information to the bigwigs. She strongly suggested I send a memo to Mrs. Timbrook first, then let her tell you where to send it. That made sense to me.

I sent the memo, then went back to work. My mind kept drifting to Cynthia, so I didn’t hear Mrs. Timbrook come in. I had no idea how long she had been there so I wasn’t sure how many of the four-letter words she heard.

“Jack, you left that part of the description out of your memo. Did you want to revise it?” She stood in the doorway smiling. I wanted to crawl under my carpeting.

“Ah, no Ma’am,” I squeaked, she just laughed.

“So, you think the building could be turned a bit?” Mrs. Timbrook inquired.

“Yes, we may have to trim a bit from the vestibule, but I don’t think it would take away from the overall look.” My best salesman’s pitch.

“When can I have Jennings come in and view your changes, Jack? The sooner the better, but you understand that. Simpson didn’t do us any favors, did he?” She sounded perturbed.

“No, but I’m not going to throw any darts at Jim. I will say this and no more, I think he should have looked over the survey before submitting it.”

“I agree,” she said. “When can Jennings see the changes?”

“Is now too soon?” Jennings deep baritone voice filled my office.

“Good morning, sir,” we said in unison.

I started my sales pitch. “If you can bear with me and use a little imagination, I can show you now.” Mentally my fingers were crossed.

“Let’s have a look,” Jennings walked toward my desk.

I explained my idea to him. He seemed pleased with it but was concerned about the entrance. After a little more discussion, Jennings told me to finalize the plans as soon as possible and get them to Lupton. He “suggested” today if possible.

“I’ll have them ready for Mr. Lupton by mid-afternoon, sir.” Jennings smiled. Mrs. Timbrook followed him from my office. On the way out she gave me the “OK” sign.

Plans be damned, I called Cynthia. She was doing the laundry. She amazes me.

Jennings and Timbrook were in my office when Lupton saw the plans. He shook my hand and gave the go-ahead. As they were leaving, Lupton stopped and turned to me, “That’s why you are where you are, Jack. Damn, good job.” They left.

When I got home, Cynthia looked tired but said, “How many bosses were there?”

“Three,” I responded. “Timbrook, Jennings, and Lupton.” I put down my briefcase and sighed.

Cynthia handed me a beer, “So you go the trifecta, huh, Babe?”

“Yes, but Lupton approved my changes on the spot. That made me feel great. But, much more importantly, how are you feeling? You were so sick yesterday and today you’re doing laundry. You were supposed to take today off.”

“I couldn’t before, and I sure as hell am not changing anything for my man, now. I feel like we are married, you work to give us a very good life, I want to support you and make your home.”

“Cynthia, you are an amazing woman. I want you to know I appreciate everything you do.”

“You show me love every second we are together. Now, go have your shower and shave, then you can tell me when you want our dinner. It’s leftovers,” she frowned.

After dinner, I gave her the play-by-play with Lupton. She told me how proud she was of me. We talked a bit more. I could tell Cynthia was getting tired. So, we had one for the road that turned in for the night.

That’s the way the week went. I had my nose to the grindstone and Cynthia kept everything going at home. Wednesday, Mrs. Timbrook informed me of a new project coming around the corner. It was in a different part of the state.

Timbrook said, I may have to be on sight for a day or two, maybe more; she wasn’t sure. I wasted no time asking if Cynthia could go along. She said she would be surprised if I didn’t have her.

I was making the final adjustments to the project. I stuck my head into Nancy’s office and asked where I should take them when I finished. She told me in her “professional” voice that I could just give them to her, and she would take them to Jennings.

When I had finished, I called Nancy and told her they were ready. She brought in a cart and away they went. I wasn’t sad to see them leave the office. I called Cynthia.

“Hey, Baby, how are you?”

“I’m doing so much better, Jack, thank you. Are you done with the project?” Her voice was a bit hesitant.

“Yes, I watched Nancy remove the monster from my office. I didn’t even wave goodbye,” I laughed.

It was a wonderful way to end a very tense week. Cynthia was much, much better, and Lupton gave me an atta-boy. I got the gold this week and Friday off.

Friday morning was a happy morning. When I brought Cynthia’s coffee to her, she was sitting in bed smiling. I handed her the cup; she sat up to kiss me. When she did, the covers fell to her lap. Her beautiful tits were in full view.

“Jack, coochie is so much better. She is almost all better. You’ve been wonderful to me.” She smiled her “Cynthia” smile.

“So, she will be well enough to pick up your dress today?” I was teasing Cynthia.

“Oh, God, yes. Jack, I am so excited. When she got sick Sunday, I was fairly sure she would be okay for this weekend. I wanted Saturday night to be the perfect end to a wonderful day. I was so disappointed, and you were so sweet. I am such a lucky girl.” Cynthia’s face was nothing but happiness.

We were having our coffee, and Cynthia got up to get the second cup. I wolf-whistled, she shook her butt. She returned with the coffee and a smile full of sunshine. She got back in bed, and we talked a little more.

“Baby, I want to fix your breakfast. Are you ready?” she asked.

“Sure, if you are. I’ll get a quick shave and meet you in the kitchen, okay?” I said.

“For a minute, I thought you were going to say I’ll help you in the kitchen,” she tried to give me a mad look.

“Nope! Learned my lesson. You’re very good to me Cynthia.” I smiled and gave her a soft kiss. Her heavy sigh after it spoke volumes.

Cynthia was all wound up. She couldn’t wait to pick up her dress. She cleaned up from breakfast in record time. She wanted to freshen up before she tried her new dress on. She was flying around the house; I just chuckled and stayed out of her way.

When we got to the dress shop Melissa met us at the door. She said the dress was ready, and was certain no other alterations would be necessary. They disappeared behind the magic curtain. When Cynthia came out, she looked gorgeous, there was no other adjective. You tell on her face she was very excited.

“Well?” her voice quivered. “Well?”

“Cynthia, you are gorgeous, simply gorgeous. Melissa, you have done it again.” I was more than happy.

“Mr. Langdon, may I suggest a tie to go with her ensemble? What color shirt and coat will you be wearing?”

“My white shirt and a black suit, two-piece.” I hoped that would meet her approval.

Melissa smiled and left the room. In no time, she was back with a tie that blended with Cynthia’s dress, perfectly. Cynthia nodded her head in approval.

“Melissa, you are an artist. We’ll take the tie as well.

We left the shop with her dress, purse, shoes, and a tie. I walked to the car, and Cynthia floated.

Departed Soul