The Magical Bottle of Wine

She took her hair down and looked at herself in the mirror. Nobody needs this much hair at my age. My friends have short bobs, but I don’t like that style or medium length hair – both styles look part way done to me. I think hair should only be short or long. I’m calling Lupe today to cut my hair short and sell my ponytail to her hair organization.

The decision was made. It was easier than Charlotte thought it would be. She came home from Pro Hair a new woman. She put on a baseball cap and puffed up the top so Dale wouldn’t notice her short hair right away. I hope he doesn’t mind me cutting my hair.

Two days ago, she had gone to The Third Hand and picked out a gift she hoped he would like. With the money she got from selling her hair to Lupe’s organization, Char bought an antique frame for a special picture for Dale. She thought it would be significant to him. I hope I picked the right one and it will make him happy.

Dale walked out of The Third Hand with what he thought was a beautiful colorful scarf that would look perfect on Charlotte. It wasn’t as expensive as he was willing to pay, but it would look great with her long red ponytail.

Char had made his favorite dinner, and they were going to celebrate ten years of being together. That was all. They wanted to take a cruise but opted to stay home and save their money. She told Dale not to spend much so they could take a cruise next year. He agreed but wanted to do something unique for her.

“Hi, Hon!” she called when he walked through the door. Char continued, “Dinner is almost ready. It’s your favorite linguini with garlic bread and the special sauce my grandmother taught to me. Did you remember the wine?”

“Yes," Dale replied as he hid the bottle from her so she wouldn’t notice how expensive it was. Then he turned to look at her and asked, “What did you do with your hair? Why are you wearing a baseball cap? Are you OK? There’s nothing wrong is there?”

“No, I did something special celebrate our anniversary and I didn’t want you to react right away,” said Char as she pulled off the cap and posed by the dining table with a big smile hoping Dale wouldn’t be upset.

Dale stared at her and before he could stop himself uttered, “Oh no! You cut your hair!” Char’s face fell as she tried to hide her disappointment at his reaction, but it was too late. Dale was instantly sorry for his reaction and did his best to recover by saying, “It’s very nice. Very modern. I like it.” Knowing he might not be able to take back his mistake at this moment, he looked down at the package he had in his hand and said, “Well, I bought this yesterday thinking you and your long red hair would look gorgeous in it. Sorry, I didn’t know your ponytail would disappear.” He looked so mortified that she shrugged and said, “Well, it will grow back. Here, I may as well give my gift to you now. I hope you like it.”

Char handed Dale a large flat box and stood back to take in the whole scene of him opening something she knew he didn’t expect. He put it on the table and gingerly took off the red ribbon and opened the box. He slowly moved the paper covering the present aside and stared at the picture of his Harley and him down by the lake. The shot was perfect with the sun shining above and the vibrant red paint sparkling on his motorcycle. It had been a memorable day of leisure and the wonders of nature combining into a day to think back on with love. The picture showed him and his precious machine shining in the sunlight, and the way he looked at it with such pride.

He lowered his head and said, ‘It’s wonderful. Thank you so much. But I'm sorry but I have something to tell you. I need to tell you that this is so valuable to me because I sold my bike two days ago and bought you that scarf at The Third Hand and put the rest of the money in the bank for us to take a cruise next year. I hope you don’t mind.”

Char sucked in her breath and replied, “Oh, Dale. I love you so much. Are you sure about the motorcycle? I know how much you loved it. And I hope you’re not mad that I cut my hair. I did it to have the picture framed.”

“Yes, it’s what I wanted to do. I would rather go on a cruise with you, even with your short hair,” he smiled and wrapped her in his arms. She leaned into his chest smelling his essence and let out a sigh. I’m so glad he didn’t cry or something awful like that.

Dale enjoyed a couple of minutes holding her then looked down and said, “Oh, and by the way, I bought your favorite Italian wine which was my inspiration for the Italian scarf.”

Char replied, “And I made your favorite Italian dinner in memory of the best red wine there is in the world even though I didn’t know you were bringing it home.” He kissed her and poured wine into their glasses.

They finished their meal and took the bottle to the coffee table where they watched Casablanca again and talked about all the romantic times they had experienced with each other in the last ten years. She looked at their glasses and said, “It’s funny, isn’t it? We have had many good times with this particular brand of wine.”

“You know,” said Dale, “There are certain magical moments in people’s lives and most of them are connected to something special that they remember forever. I think this brand of wine is our magic.”

She laughed and said, “Just like on our first date – the wine made all the difference.”