“What kind of stuff?”

“Huh?”

“You said some stuff had already been moved into the apartment”

“Stuff. Furniture. Rugs and pictures and shit. All I know is I’m ready to get homebut I don’t want to offend your husband seeing as he gave me twenty extra bucks_____”

“I’ll give you twenty more if you wait for me .I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” It took Tina ten minutes,she broke all the speed limits to get there. She wanted to see sooner rather than later the nice stuff that Henry had moved into an apartment she knew nothing about and why he needed an extra apartment. And she wanted to know for whom he was having an extra key made.

-She saw the locksmith as soon as she exited the car. She followed him up the stairs and into the hall-way.

“Aren’t you going to test the keys?” She asked him, as he stood in front of the door.

“If something turns up missing i’m the first one accused of stealing”

“ I doubt that”

“I’m not taking no chances going into a man’s apartment when he’s not there ,forget it”

He handed her the key and turned to leave. “The light switch is on your right by the door”

Tina opened the door and flipped the switch on

“surprise”

the shout went up from about twenty people or more, all of whom she recognized. Her mouth dropped open like a trap door. She pressed her hand over her heart. Everyone was laughing over her dumbfounded expression.

Henry separated himself from the others and came towards her, grinning. He embraced her tightly ,then soundly kissed her lips. “Happy Anniversary, darling”

“B-but our anniversary isn’t until__”

“I know when it is but you always catch on to my attempted surprises. This year I thought I’d get the jump on you, judging by your reaction, I’d say I was successful.

Henry looked over her head and thanked the locksmith.

“You had me convinced that I was about to catch my cheating husband,” Tina said.

“I know ,” he said planting another kiss on her mouth.

“Who’s apartment is this?”

“It is mine. Whose apartment you thought it was?”

“I__never mind”

Everyone drank champagne and toasted the happy couple. After everyone left , Henry laid his hands on Tina’s shoulders and massaged them gently. “I know you,ve wondered about the late hours I’ve been keeping, as well as the unaccounted -for time I’ve spent away from home.”

“I confess”

“I- apologize for causing you to worry. I wanted this place to be completely set up before you saw it. It’s taken me weeks to get it ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“Well not for an affair as you thought”

“Why do you need an extra apartment?”

“Writing”

“Writing?” Tina repeated on a thin breath.

“That’s your anniversary present, i’ve started writing”

For several moments she was too stunned to speak, then she threw herself against him. “Henry i’m so proud of you. When?… What made you?…I never even knew you could… I’m so proud of you” She rained kisses all over his face. Finally he put her away from him.

“Don’t get carried away. I’ll probable fail miserable”

“You won’t” Tina said and kissed him with more heat than she had felt in a long time. Their lovemaking had never given her the breathless rush of joy, the loss of equilibrium , that Bette’s kisses had. She slid her hands up his chest and began working on the knot of his necktie. But he moved her aside, sat down at the keyboard, and booted up the computer.

“I’m so anxious to get started.”

“Now?”

He swiveled his chair around and looked up at her, grinning sheepishly. “Do you mind? I’ve been toying with an idea. I’m afraid if I don’t commit it on paper, It’ll vanish. Do you mind if I work awhile?”

She forced herself to smile. “No. Of course not. I’ll say good-bye and leave you to your work.”

“You don’t have to go, you can hang around for a while”

Tina shook her head. “No , I don’t want to be a distraction.”

                                                     *****

Fifteen minutes after Tina left ,Henry let himself into another apartment. It was half way from the one where he had set up an office he planned never to use.

TBC