Jessica and Tom: Dinner

Jessica wiped her brow. Tom would be home any minute and dinner wasn’t ready yet. They had only been married 6 months and she was struggling to do it all, clean the house, cook his dinner and look beautiful.

Her mother had helped her in the beginning but it was getting hard doing her chores alone now. Her hair was escaping from her hairsprayed bouffant and her nail polish was chipped from scrubbing Tom’s work clothes earlier. How did one man go through so many clothes and make them so dirty? He was an accountant by day, who went to the pub or bowling after work.

Brushing her hair back into place, she smelt burning and checked the roast. Burnt again! Oh no, what if it was raw in the middle? She was in for it tonight again. Dessert! She forgot dessert. Scrambling around the kitchen she started making the pastry for an apple pie.

What was the time? 5:49pm. He would be home any minute. A lone tear escaped from her eye as she threw the apple pie into the oven, then wiped the counters and quickly mopped the flour off the black and white chequered vinyl.

Her hands shook as she mixed vermouth and gin together spilling it down her pink lace apron. Right, that was done, she put the shaker and glasses in the refrigerator. What else did she need to do? Appetisers? Change her dirty clothes. Appetisers first. Cheese spray on crackers, arranged in a circle around a little bowl full of olives on sticks with cellophane ribbons.

Right, leave them on the counter. Sprint upstairs taking off shoes and dress on the stairs. Jessica left her discarded pile of clothing on the floor and pushed it under the bed, ready to deal with it tomorrow. She adjusted her cream slip, and wore the new green dress Tom loved her in. She quickly combed and teased her hair, adding another layer of hairspray until it reached helmet-like perfection.

Slipping on a pair of skin coloured nylons with a seam running down the back, she clipped them to her suspenders and looked in the mirror. Almost ready. A layer of pink lipstick and a spritz of her favourite perfume and she was ready to go.

6:01pm. Jessica heard Tom’s car pull into the garage. Down the stairs again. She pulled out the martini mixture and poured it into a glass. She picked up the glass and appetisers, took a deep breath, plastered a smile on her face and went to meet Tom in the foyer where he was hanging his hat and coat on the antique stand, an ugly gift from her mother in law.

“Honey, I’m home!” she heard called. Putting on a brave face, she met Tom in the lounge room. She handed him his drink and placed the snacks next to his Eames chair. He smiled at her and pulled her into his lap. “You look beautiful,” he said, his blue eyes full of adoration for his petite blonde wife. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and beckoned her to stand up.

She stood up and faced him. He turned around and her smile dropped when her face was out of eye shot. What was he going to do? She heard some rustling and a zip. Jessica panicked. What was happening?

“Close your eyes, sweetheart,” whispered Tom. Jessica nodded apprehensively. She felt something cold on her throat and she seized up. There was fumbling behind her and a swear word. “Tom!” she gasped, never having heard him use foul language before. “Sorry, darling. You can open your eyes now,” said Tom as he spun her round to look in the large mirror over the fire place.

Jessica gasped and tears formed in her eyes as she admired her first pearl necklace. "It's so beautiful Tom, thank you so much!", she kissed him on the cheek. All her stress and fear had been for nothing.

Tom picked her up and carrying her over his shoulder, joined her in the kitchen and helped her finish the meal. Everything had worked out perfectly. If only every day was as perfect as today.