The Thrill Ain't Gone

 "Alright, I'll see you then," Melissa said. She shook her feathered blond curls as she spoke on the phone. She set it down with relief. Her blazer and pants were difficult to move in as she notated in her calendar. She recorded the last appointment she made and reviewed her schedule; she was booked solid. That meant Melissa could rest her poor ear from making phone calls on Saturday. She pulled back her sleeve to check her heart-shaped gold watch. It was only 6:30: if she hurried she could make it home in time.

"Melissa, you sticking around?" The speaker, Roger lounged in a windowed office to the side of the call center. There were a couple other coworkers relaxing there.

"Nah, I gotta get home. My husband leaves for work in—" Melissa paused to check her watch once more. "Two hours and fifteen minutes."

"Well shit, yeah. You gotta go then."

Melissa gathered up her workspace materials. "I wasn't expecting to get any time with him tonight. Even if it's an hour it'll be better than nothing."

"Yeah go, get out of here. Yah lovebird," Roger smiled at her. She could never tell if he was genuinely happy for her or just being polite.

Melissa returned his smile and headed out the door.

—

"Call home," Melissa instructed her Bluetooth. The phone rang several times as Melissa sped onto the highway. Checking lanes she shifted over.

"Raaaawr." A playful male voice emerged from the phone.

"Oh no," Melissa said in a mock shock. "Whatever may have happened to my husband?" They both laughed through the phone.

"He loves you, Melissa," the man said.

"I love you too, Tommy. Hey, so guess what?"

"You're stuck at work again?" Tommy guessed with a resigned voice.

"No, I'm on my way home already," Melissa said. She pressed her foot gently on the brake as she noticed the truck in front of her was maintaining a slower pace. She focused on driving for awhile, but didn't hear a reply either. "Tommy?

"Yeah, I heard you. I wish I could celebrate, but I'm afraid they want me in early. Remind me why I took this supervisor position?"

"Because you deserve it and you care about your coworkers unlike the last supervisor you had." Melissa spoke fast the oft repeated line.

"What's the point of earning all this money if we have no time together?" Tommy said. "I have all those groceries we ordered for our anniversary last week. Still haven't cooked them."

"Shit," Melissa said, as someone cut in front of her on the road. "I gotta focus on driving. See you at home."

—

Melissa stepped out of the car to their front porch. She pushed her briefcase into the potted rosemary plant as she opened the door. Tommy didn't immediately respond to the door opening. "Rawr?" Melissa called into the house.

"Rawr," answered a man's voice upstairs.

"Rawr!" Melissa yelled again. She set her suitcase down at the bottom of the stairs and began climbing.

"RAA-wr," called Tommy.

"Rawr!" chimed in a child's voice.

"Oh, is the Sallysaurus still awake?" Melissa asked as she stepped over the child gate. Warm light emanated from a small pink glowing lamp in the bedroom. The light illuminated a toddler with soft dark curly hair who lay on the floor. Beside her sat a man with a tight Afro clipped close to his dark skin. He was already wearing his blue uniform with security patches on each shoulder.

"Mama!" said the Sallysaurus, who was wearing a dinosaur themed onesie. She owned several.

"I see Rawr-ker-location worked," Tommy said with a smile.

Melissa lowered herself down to a sitting position on the other side of Sally. She winced slightly as her knees bent, because her pants were not designed for floor sitting. She pulled her hand over Sally's head and hugged the small girl to her side.

Tommy leaned over his child's head to give Melissa a swift kiss. "Welcome home, my beautiful amazing wife."

Melissa shifted her child around so she could lean into another kiss. "I'm sorry about traffic. It's bad out there tonight."

Tommy reached over Melissa to pick up her wrist. He checked her watch then pulled his fingers along her hand until they rested on her wedding and engagement bands. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed them softly. "Not enough," he said.

"Purla Crayo?" Sally asked.

"Your mama's gonna read you a story once I leave, Sally."

"Purla Crayo? Dadda?" Sally asked again.

"Alright, one more read through, but then I should go." Tommy said.

"Just when I thought I was out," Melissa said, "they pull me back in."

"I'll pull you back in." Tommy swept both woman and child into his arms.

There was one more reading of Harold and the Purple Crayon for Sally. Tommy carried the toddler to her crib and Melissa tucked her in. The mother kissed the her daughter's forehead underneath her curls. Then she stood and pulled Tommy into a tight hug.

"I gotta go, Mommadactyl," Tommy said.

"I know, Daddilosoraptor. Doesn't mean I have to let you," Melissa replied. She clung to him tight.

There was a giggle from the crib right before a loud beeping erupted. Tommy pulled out his phone and quickly turned the alarm off. "I really gotta go, Mel."

Melissa nodded. She kissed him briefly and unwound her arms from around him. "I know Sally. Dadilosoraptor's phone is scary."

"Sometime, Mel—"

"We will, Tommy."

"You didn't even know what I was gonna say," Tommy said.

Melissa turned and looked at him. She raised her eyebrows with a coy smile underneath. "I didn't?"

"Ah shucks. Mommadactyl's a mindreader, Sally."

"Rawr," said the toddler happily.

"Go, Tommy. Before I change my mind about letting you leave."

—

On the stove stood a half empty pot of rice with raisins in it. It was the remnants of Sally's earlier dinner and Tommy's pre-work snack. Melissa scooped up a spoonful and tasted the cold rice. She sighed and shook her head then transferred the remnants to a microwave safe bowl. There was not much left.

She opened the fridge looking for something edible and easy. Inside sat the package of steaks that Tommy had brought home the day before their anniversary. Their "best if used by" date was Sunday. With their luck, Melissa would have another client call with an emergency Saturday night. She looked threw the fridge for the veggies; the mushrooms and green onions were already unusable. She transitioned the containers into the trash, careful not to spill the yucky looking liquid onto the floor. She checked for any other spoiled items in the fridge before noticing some mushroom juice had landed on her suit pants.

A wash and change later she migrated into the kitchen again. This time she wore silky red pajamas. Melissa pulled out her phone, and after a quick listen for activity upstairs, opened her BB King playlist. She turned the volume down, not wanting to disturb Sallysaurus' slumber.

Motivated by the blues, Melissa set to work. She pulled out the yellow onions, cleaning off the outer jackets before chopping them up. She wasn't exactly a chef, but the unevenly chopped onions would still taste good. She swept these into a Tupperware for tomorrow's meal. Melissa moved onto the potatoes, cutting them down into small chunks. She put these in another container and drizzled olive oil over the top. She frowned at the starch.

She left the kitchen and stepped out onto her front porch. The rosemary bush polluted the cool night air with it's hearty scent. Melissa selected a branch and ripped it off the plant. The evening had fallen and the moon was visible above their empty street.

Returning to the kitchen, Melissa washed the rosemary and tore up the needles to sprinkle over the potatoes.

Her playlist reached the classic "The Thrill is gone." Melissa danced in the kitchen alone as she collected her ingredients for the marinade. She sang along as she measured the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and white vinegar into a large Ziploc. She precariously perched the bag between two bowls to keep it upright. As the music moved on to the next song, Melissa prepared the garlic. She pulled out a little used tool that looked like a wooden mallet with little triangle shapes on the sides. Not wanting to wake the girl upstairs, she pressed the cloves against the side of the mallet and leaned down to use her weight. It wasn't as effective as hammering, but the garlic was sufficiently smashed. She added the garlic and some pepper to the Ziploc.

She reached into the fridge once more to pull out the meat wrapped in white paper. She gingerly transitioned the steaks into marinade and zipped it close. She washed her hands and put all her preparations into the fridge.

Melissa paused her music to listen to the sounds of the house. She quietly walked upstairs. In Sally's room, the little lamp had been left on in the night to ward off nightmares. Sally slept with her limbs spread out in weird directions. Emerging from her throat came the frequent, though quiet, sound of a snore. Melissa crept into the room to cautiously prop Sally's head up slightly on the pillow. It didn't completely stop the sound, but Melissa imagined it helped. She carefully tucked Sally's arms and feet back under the blanket.

She slipped down the hall with a yawn. Melissa's own bed was vast and empty. She tried sleeping on her back, either side, or stomach. Finally, she grabbed both pillows and arranged them in the closest approximation of Tommy's shape she could make out of linens. She kissed the pillow that was meant to represent her husband's head. Then she could finally sleep.

—

Tommy: Ugh. Worked through lunch, again. Driving home soon. Love you.

The text woke her up. She blinked her sleepy eyes at the message then rolled into the covers. That was when she discovered that both pillows had quit the bed sometime in the night. It took some hunting for Melissa to find what side of the bed she had pushed them off. By the time she pulled them back into her grasp she felt her body no longer wanted sleep.

Melissa: Hungry?

She pulled herself out of the bed yawning.

Tommy: Very. Love.

Melissa nestled her feet into the slippers. She made her way down the hallway in the dark, accidentally kicking the child gate. "Ow." She tried to stifle herself before stepping over. She padded downstairs using the railing to guide her. In the kitchen, she flicked on the light.

Melissa turned the oven on and set to work. The potatoes went into a Pyrex that made it's way into the oven. She set a cast iron skillet on the stove. Melissa melted some butter in the skillet before dumping into the onions. Their usual anniversary meal involved mushrooms and onions, but when the fungi weren't liquefied by neglect. The smells of the caramelizing onions was good on it's own.

Melissa pulled out several slices of sandwich bread. She buttered and seasoned it. She stirred the onions before returning to the fridge. She pulled out some sliced cheese and the marinated steaks. She pushed the onions around to create a space for the steaks in the cast iron skillet. Once the meat was sizzling, she washed her hands before adding cheese to each of the bread slices. The bread went onto a baking sheet into the oven.

"Rawr?" came faintly from upstairs. The sun was just barely peeking over the neighbors house, but it was enough for Sally.

"Shit shit shit," Melissa whispered. She hastily turned off the burners before heading upstairs.

Sally was still in her crib, thankfully. Melissa dreaded the day Sally learned to climb out.

"Mama!" Sally said with a bright smile. She had propped herself up onto her legs by holding onto the edge of the crib.

"Morning, Sally."

Melissa bend to pick her up and release her from the nightly prison of her bed. Sally squirmed as her mother carried her prompting Melissa to set her down. "You are getting heavier, Sallysaurus."

Sally grabbed onto her mothers leg to push herself back to a standing position. The toddler tugged at her silky pajamas until Melissa obediently bent to lend her a hand. With the safety of her mama's grip. Sally began putting leg in front of the other leading her mother out the door down the hallway. At the top of the stairs the child paused.

"Rawr?" The child looked up at Melissa, her right hand breaking from her mother's grip to hold the child gate instead.

Melissa shook her head as she picked up the toddler, again. She carried Sally downstairs into the kid safe zone they had created in the family room. She picked up the remote and turned on Saturday morning cartoons on the safe channel. Melissa planted one more head on the girls curly head before she returned to the kitchen.

The cast iron skillet had continued slowly cooking the steak she had left. She moved the skillet into the oven and turned it to "keep warm."

"Rawr?" Sally called.

"Good morning, my little Sallysaurus!" Melissa called as she returned to the room.

Sally answered in the babble talk that Melissa still wished she understood.

The mother cleared off the toys and spilled rice that was on the table from the last meal Tommy fed Sally. "Do I have time?" Melissa asked herself. "Sally, do I have time to make it fancy?"

The toddler was sucking on the neck of a toy dinosaur staring at her mama. She ignored the Looney Tunes playing in the background.

"I'm going to try," Melissa said. She pulled Sally's high chair a little further back from the table. Melissa rushed over to the linen closet and grabbed a red tablecloth they hadn't used for ages. She unfolded it and threw it on the table for two. She also added two glasses on the table and a bottle of Cabernet. The final touch was a three pronged crystal candlestick. It still had three partially burned candles from their last attempt at an anniversary dinner. She lit the candles just as Tommy walked through the door.

"Ra— What's all this?" Tommy said looking from his wife to the table.

"Dinner," Melissa said. "For after a long day's work."

Tommy caught her hand and pulled her in for a long kiss. The cartoons interrupted with bugs bunny doing a loud fake kiss on Elmer Fudd. They broke apart and Melissa returned to the kitchen.

"Should I change?" Tommy asked.

"I don't think it matters."

"Dadda!"

"Good morning Sally." Tommy yawned heavily. he unbuttoned the top layer of his uniform revealing a sweat stained white t-shirt beneath. He lifted his leg up to climb into the kid safe zone. He yawned heavily and sat down on the couch. "Your Mama's an angel," he told Sally. He unlaced his boots.

"Whoops.... an angel who has not made the kiddo food."

"Strawberries," Tommy said, with a yawn. "Blue Tupperware. Add some cheerios and she'll be happy."

"Has anyone told you today how handsome and wonderful you are?" Melissa said.

"Not in the past six hours. No." Tommy said, pulling off his boots. Should I be helping?"

"No, you stay right where you are. I'll finish putting the plates out.

Tommy leaned to set his boots, belt, and outer work-shirt outside of the kid safe zone. He had almost dozed by the time Melissa called him to the table.

Sally happily gobbled up the strawberries and cheerios as soon as they were set on her high chair. Melissa and Tommy sad down to enjoy their much delayed anniversary dinner—for breakfast.

"Wine?" Tommy asked.

"I figured since it is part of our usual dinner. We don't have to drink it."

"Well I guess since tradition dictates." He opened it himself with a corkscrew and poured wine for himself and Melissa. "Just a little."

The candlelight was soon eclipsed by the sun as it rose through the window, but the romantic atmosphere remained. They were both tired and didn't have a lot to say. The just kept looking at each other fondly. Parts of the food were a little burnt, but they ate the whole thing.

As dinner wrapped up, Melissa ordered Tommy to get himself to bed. However, her husband insisted on carrying his dishes back to the kitchen. He paused on his way out to observe a picture that hung between the two rooms. Waiting until Melissa's arms were empty, he caught her for a kiss. He leaned in so passionately that she felt herself hanging backwards. He released the kiss, but still held her tight in his arms.

"What was that for?" Melissa asked with a smile.

Tommy jerked his head at the picture. it was a charcoal made to mimic a photo caught of a similar kiss from their wedding reception. "Happy anniversary, my Melissa."

"Happy anniversary, my Tommy."