I finally managed to obtain my paycheck after what seemed like a fourth of a year of working at the plant. It was plenty of money for a cruise; adding to the hundreds I'd been saving prior, it was enough for the cruise to the Bahamas I wanted to take my wife on for years.
Then I received a call from my friend, stating that I forgot to pay him for the TV I'd accidentally broke at his house. Hey, it was the Vikings vs the Packers, I was nearly dead drunk and the Vikings lost; I'm not perfect. Shock ran down my spine like a rat with cheese running down a wall, and I barely managed to tell him that I'd be able to pay him back before my wife, Charmaine, came in.
I told her that I probably would not be able to take her on the cruise, and she expressed brief disappointment. But after some pondering, she decided to treat me to a night at the Acquerello, much to my initial confusion. However, I agreed to go anyway, deciding that I could use a good dinner. She invited some friends, which only served to turn my confusion to worrying.
We ran up a pretty hefty bill ($300 or so), and by the time I had to pay the check, I was worried sick. Then Charmaine whispered something in my ear that made me light up like kid about to enter Disneyland; her friends all managed to earn huge paychecks from their relatively high-paying jobs. The bill was then paid off like it was nothing, but I was internally conflicting with myself about whether to speak of the debt or not. Charmaine, however, seemed to be reading my mind, and whispered, again, in my ear that she got her friends to pay off the debt. She told me that prior to me even finding out that I still had to take care of it, she knew, but she already had "a plan" in mind.
My happiness knew no bounds at that point; my heart grew like dough rising in the oven, waiting to be kneaded into a delicious stromboli. I simply stared into the distance, mouth slightly open, trying to register what just entered the mind that I had worried sick for the past several hours. Slowly, a smile formed on my face, and I turned to Charmaine, embracing her. We were at it for two straight minutes, then I finished off the bill.
From the car ride home to our bed, we continued to kiss like our faces were stuck together with epoxy. My love for Charmaine was almost literally off the charts that very day. We married only a week or so before this incident, and while our mutual love was already strong, this debt only increased it. When you think of it, it sometimes is the problem that serves as the foundation to happiness.
Truly, my worry has turned to love.