Lavender

Our marriage has come of age. Yesterday was our 21st wedding anniversary. You'd think you'd know someone after 21 years. I thought I did, anyway. And then, this afternoon, in comes Keith all excited about the great big package that came in the mail. "Look," he says gleefully, and I look and I think, "Good lord, who is this man?" There, on a bed of those crinkly paper gift-bag stuffing thingies, lounged several large bottles of Essential Oils lavender products--oils and lotions and shampoos and what-not.

Really?? He actually initiated, took time out to, went to the effort of, buying Essential Oils products? Honestly, I thought there was some kind of rule against such a thing, that one could only get this sort of stuff as a present, usually from people who don't know you very well and so haven't a clue as to what to get you. "Yeah," he enthused, "don't you remember we got some once from Anne? And I really liked it so I went online and there was this website!"

Years ago, I got tenure. And I stunned Keith by coming home and announcing that now I was going to enroll in a cake decorating course. It totally threw him for a loop. He couldn't get over it: how could he be married to me and yet have no inkling whatsoever that I had some inner desire to learn how to make icing roses and fondant animals.

Maybe this is why, ideally, we marry for the long haul. So we can keep shocking each other. So, anyway, excuse me. I have to go coat myself in lavender oil.