Surprise

Surprise

“Aren’t you gonna put the car in?” asked Susan.

“No, I have to program the GPS, it doesn’t work well in the garage. You go in, I’ll be right there,” said Ron.

“I’ll wait. I can’t believe they’d call you tonight to go on a trip tomorrow morning!”

“It just came up suddenly. Go in, I’ll be a minute.” He started poking buttons.

“No! You’ll be away all week. I don’t want to miss a minute with you!”

Ron frowned. She was cuddling against him as he pushed buttons. This was it, he thought. This over closeness. At first it was nice, they were in love. But years later, now married, she was just as clingy. What was sweet then was suffocating him now.

“Honey, go in! I’ll be a minute! You can make us nightcaps; we’ll cuddle on the sofa.”

‘No, this is nice, like the old days when we went parking!” and she clung tighter.

All the preparations he’d gone through. A year of research in the library in the next town so nobody could connect him. Finally, a way to rig the house to blow up as the front door was opened, and it would look like a fluke, an accident! He might even be able to sue the gas company. But she had to go in first, alone, obviously…

“Honey, I’ll just be a minute!”

“I’ll wait.”

“Hun, you need to go in first, just this time…”

“Why?”

"I got you a present.”

Susan’s eyes lit up. “You got the puppy, didn’t you! Oh you darling wonderful man!” and she jumped out of the car and ran into the house!

Nothing happened.

Ron got out of the car. ‘Crap,’ he thought, as he wondered what he’d do if Susan made it back out of the house.