The Perfect Day

Today was the day and Nick knew it would be perfect. It just had to be. He had the whole day planned to the very last detail. He was never one for big acts of grandeur, but he wanted to ensure that Sarah, his girlfriend, felt special today. 

First, he had to make breakfast. Sarah was usually the one to do the cooking around the house, but Nick thought that she would truly appreciate being served for once. He even got up early so that he could have breakfast made by the time that she awoke. He padded his way into the kitchen, started some coffee, and set about pulling out everything he needed. He knew that Sarah liked simple breakfasts, so he decided that he would make her scrambled eggs, toast with jam, and put a banana on the side. 

It didn’t take long for things to begin going awry. What was supposed to be a simple meal became a real headache for Nick. When he tried cracking the eggs, bits of shell fell in with each egg and he had to fish them out. He hoped that he got them all. Next was the milk and Nick realized he didn’t know how much he was supposed to add. Is there a correct amount of milk to put into scrambled eggs? He had seen Sarah make them a hundred times, but he had never seen her measure the milk. Nick ran a hand through his messy bed-hair before he decided to grab his phone to look it up. Apparently, the correct amount of milk is about a tablespoon per egg. Who knew? 

“Whatcha doin’ babe?” Nick’s body stiffened as he turned around quickly to find his lovely girlfriend peering at him from the edge of the kitchen.

“No, no, no! I was going to wake you with breakfast! I have a whole day planned for us.”

“Oh?” Sarah raised an eyebrow, “Well, how about I go take a shower to get ready for the day while you finish up?”

“Yes! Go take a shower! You stink!” he rushed out. He was met with a glare to which he responded with an innocent grin. As Sarah shook her head with a chuckle and left, Nick turned back to the eggs. He added the appropriate amount of milk and some salt and pepper. He poured the mixture into a pan on the stove and turned the stove on. While that began to heat up, Nick pulled out the toaster and the bread. After the initial panic of noticing they were almost out of bread, he was relieved to see that there was enough for both of them to have 2 slices of toast. Why hadn’t he thought to check if they had bread before he had gone shopping? He thanked his lucky stars and put the bread in the toaster. He checked the setting on the toaster. It seemed low. There’s no way that was the setting that Sarah used when she made toast. It looked like it would barely change the color of the bread. He turned the toaster up a bit and turned back to the eggs. 

Does it always take this long to make eggs? He poked at the liquid eggs with a spatula. It didn’t look any thicker than when he first poured it in the pan. He checked to make sure he had turned the right burner on. He had. Impatience won over and he turned the stove up. Sarah isn’t one to linger in the shower. He would also need to shower. Maybe he should have showered before he started cooking. Maybe Sarah wouldn’t have woken up as early if he had showered first and then he wouldn’t have to shower while she ate. He didn’t plan this as carefully as he thought. He would have liked to eat with her. What fun is it to eat a special breakfast alone? At least they would be able to eat lunch and dinner together. Speaking of which, he needed to remember to put the lunch he prepared in the picnic basket and make sure that he grabbed it before they left. 

Nick’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of bread popping out of the toaster. He took a second to let his heart settle down. Did he really just get scared by a toaster? When he turned around, it felt as if his heart stopped completely, which must have been quite a feat since it was just racing. Smoke was rising from the toaster, and the toast was far from a shade that looked edible. How had he not smelled the toast burning? His heart sank and he cursed as he took the burnt toast out and tried to get rid of the lingering smoke. Nick was upset but decided he wouldn’t let it get him down. He was sure that Sarah would be okay with the eggs and bana..THE EGGS!

Nick turned back to the eggs. He attempted to scramble the eggs with spatula, but they were stuck to the bottom of the pan and beginning to burn as well. Frustrated, he turned off the stove and began to try to scrape the eggs into the trash. 

“Is breakfast ready?” Nick looked up at Sarah, who had not only showered, but was dressed and ready to go. He looked back down at the pan in his hands over the trash can and then over at the bananas, or banana rather, in a fruit bowl on the island. He looked back up at Sarah who was watching him curiously. 

“You know, I was thinking we could just grab some pastries on the way or something,” he said with a smile that he knew probably looked forced. Sarah just nodded and gave him a knowing smile. Man, he was really lucky to have her. Nick put the pan down and went to take a shower. He was upset that breakfast hadn’t gone as planned, but the hot water really helped push his worries away. He knew Sarah was understanding, and he wouldn’t let burnt eggs and toast ruin the rest of his perfect day. With new resolve, he got out of the shower and got dressed. He was running behind schedule a little bit, but it should be fine. When he walked out of the bedroom, he found Sarah in the kitchen as she finished cleaning up Nick’s disaster of a breakfast. He is really lucky to have her. He gave her a quick kiss as he took her hand to lead her out the door to start the day, stopping to grab the picnic basket on the way. 

Nick became worried again when they walked outside and were met with a dark, cloudy sky. The forecast had called for clear skies! He took a deep breath and led Sarah to the car. They would be driving an hour and a half to their destination. Maybe the weather would be better there. He hoped that it would be and pulled out of the driveway. After stopping for some pastries at their favorite pastry shop, they were on their way to the first surprise that Nick had planned. The drive was pleasant as they talked and sang loudly to music. However, the weather didn’t seem to get any better. In fact, it was actually looking worse than it had at home. By the time Nick pulled into their destination, a man was putting up a sign that said, “CLOSED DUE TO WEATHER.” Nick hung his head and sighed. He felt Sarah run her hand over his arm as she asked him what was wrong.

“We were supposed to go for a hot air balloon ride and then go hiking in a nearby state park,” he sighed. “The weather forecast said that it would be sunny today and we drove all this way.”

“Maybe we can go for a hot air balloon ride another day,” she reassured him. “I’m sure we can find something interesting to do here that we can’t at home.”

“I think that there’s a mall in the next city over,” he said with uncertainty, even as Sarah’s eyes grew wide with excitement. He wasn’t particularly fond of shopping, but he knew that she would enjoy it. The look on her face settled it, and he drove them to the next town. By the time they made it to the mall, rain was beginning to downpour. They ran into the mall as quickly as they could to limit how soaked they would be. It looked like they wouldn’t be driving anywhere anytime soon. 

They were able to kill a couple of hours with shopping. Despite his usual lack of enthusiasm when it comes to shopping, Nick had a good time. He always enjoys time with Sarah, and he loved watching her excitement as she bounced around the stores. She looked especially ecstatic when he bought her a gorgeous evening gown for later that evening, and he was sure he earned a few brownie points.

 Around noon, they began to feel hungry. Nick was about to suggest running out to the car to get their picnic basket before he came to the horrible realization that he forgot to put their lunch in the basket. All he had brought with them were plates and utensils. He groaned and shook off Sarah’s questioning look. She didn’t need to know about all of his failures. Instead, they found the food court and were pleasantly surprised by their options. Nick decided to get a hot sandwich from a deli counter and Sarah got a rice bowl from a Chinese food place. 

The food was delicious, and the company even better. Nick and Sarah ended up sitting there for quite awhile talking and laughing while their food settled. Nick couldn’t help but cherish this small moment. He didn’t think he could enjoy just talking with anyone as much as he does with Sarah. His original plans may have fallen through, but he believed that Sarah was still having a good time. The day hadn’t been wasted, and he still had a surprise in store for dinner. They talked for awhile longer before they decided to kill some more time in an arcade they found in the mall. Nick hadn’t been in one in a long time and he didn’t remember ever having as much fun as he did today. They were both competitive and despite what he told Sarah, he hadn’t really been letting her win most of the games.

As they walked out of the arcade hand-in-hand and a giant teddy bear prize under Sarah’s arm, Nick decided it was time to reveal his dinner surprise.

“So, what do you say you put on that gown that we bought and we head to dinner?” 

Sarah arched a brow. “The gown? Where we would go so dressed up unless..” she trailed off. Nick just smiled at her in response, and she gasped. “No way! DiMaggio’s?! You have to book reservations there months in advance!”

She squealed as he just nodded, and she ran off to the bathroom to change. Nick also went to quickly change his attire. He came back out before Sarah, but his breath hitched when he caught sight of her walking toward him from the bathroom in her new dress. She looks so beautiful. He took her by the hand and led her out to the car. Thank God it had finally stopped raining. He struggled not to keep looking over at the huge smile on Sarah’s face as he drove to the restaurant. When he arrived at the restaurant, he gave his car keys to the valet and walked around the car to open the door for Sarah. This place really was fancy. He walked up to the maître d’ and gave his name for the reservation. The maître d’ looked for their reservation for a minute before he spoke. 

“I’m sorry, Sir, but I don’t have a reservation under that name.”

“What? I made the reservation four months ago,” Nick cried, unable to cover the panic in his voice. 

“Sir, I’m sorry. I can make you a reservation for another day, but we are booked for tonight and there is nothing I can do.”

Nick decided not to make a scene and left the restaurant with Sarah in tow. He was beyond upset. He had been planning this day for months! He couldn’t believe how all of his plans had fallen apart! He apologized profusely as the valet brought his car back and Sarah continued to try to console him. The car ride was silent as Nick was lost and his thoughts and Sarah seemed to think that Nick needed a minute. Nick couldn’t let this night go to waste. He had to fix it somehow. He drove down the road for a few minutes before he spotted a restaurant with a covered patio and a live band. It actually looked pretty nice. He made a split decision and pulled in. They were shown to their table and they ordered their food and drinks, but the previous mood hadn’t been restored. Nick reached across the table and grabbed Sarah’s hand. 

“I’m sorry about today,” Nick sighed. 

“What do you mean? Today has been wonderful.”

“I just had this whole day planned, and nothing has gone right.” Nick hung head in disappointment. 

“Nick, look at me,” Sarah urged. “I’m sure I would have loved everything you had planned, and I’ll admit that I’m a little bummed that we’re not at DiMaggio’s right now,” she paused as Nick groaned. “But, it doesn’t matter what we do or where we go as long as I’m with you”. 

Nick looked up at Sarah and realized how foolish he had been. Sarah was right. As long as they were together, nothing else mattered. He worked up his resolve. He wasn’t going to let this moment go to waste. 

“Look Sarah, I was trying very hard to make today special. That obviously didn’t go as planned.” He looked up as Sarah chuckled. “But you are right. Nothing matters to me besides being with you. Despite my failures, I had the best day with you. I am so lucky to have you and that you are so understanding. I love you so much Sarah.” He pulled the ring box from his pocket and opened it for Sarah as he dropped to one knee. “Will you marry me?”

A smile erupted on Sarah’s face. “As long as you let me do the cooking, it’s a deal.”

Nick barked laugh as he slipped the ring on Sarah’s finger and stood to meet her in a kiss. He vaguely heard applause from the other restaurant patrons. He was so overwhelmed with happiness.

Today had been perfect.