Clayton laughed. “Sweetheart, it’s our 25th Anniversary. Wait, let me open the car door for you.”

 

Malianna rolled her eyes. “Really, Clay, but OK, if you insist.” She tried to be patient. She guessed it was a 25th anniversary of some sort; her husband had his own way of keeping time, one she could never figure out.

 

He held the door open to the Lake View Supper Club, a half-hour drive south of the “Uppa” in NE Wisconsin. “Same restaurant as back then. You remember, we came here the next day to celebrate. Better than campfire brats.”

 

She remarked after they were seated and opened the menus, “And there was hot water in the restrooms so we could wash off some of the camping grime.”

 

“Yeh, those were fun times. Later our kids liked camping too. Not too hot on the hiking though, except for little Joey. ‘Outgrew it,’ he said when he turned twelve; ‘don’t know any girls who like dirt.’ And now even I’ll admit, a soft bed and warm shower at the end of a day hiking is not such a bad idea.”

 

They decided they’d have wine with the meal. Malianna selected the Lake Superior white fish “with a dry chardonnay” and Clayton, “beef tournedos with a pinot noir.”

 

They sat quietly for a few minutes watching the sun set over the lake. The maples had begun to turn and there were patches of yellow and red.

 

“Clay, you think some of those yellows are from sugar maples?”

 

“Probably not. If there were, we’d be seeing tourist stands selling maple syrup. I don’t think the soil is right for them here. I guess we could ask, or better yet Google it. But those colors are nice, especially seeing how they’re mixed in with the greens from the pines.”

 

The waiter came with their wine. “Your dinner will be ready shortly. Is this any special occasion?”

“It’s our 25th Anniversary,” Malianna quickly answered.

 

“Congratulations. I’ll tell the chef; there’s a complementary special dessert. But let me know if you’re allergic to chocolate.”

“See, I told you it would be nice to come back here for a long weekend. Glad you mentioned the 25th.”

Malianna laughed. “Well, you would have gone on for hours about when we were hiking on the shore trail in Pine Woods you spotted a Garter Snake slithering across some pine roots into the brush and then we stopped to count the fallen leaves, and that old couple came up to us. And…”

 

“No, really, I never go on that long.”

“Sometimes. And you like this story, and all our friends know that we come up here every couple of years in the shoulder season just so you can nibble on my shoulders.”

“Well, they still taste good.”

“You say.” She broke off. “Here’s the food; let’s eat while it’s hot.”

Clayton raised his glass. “To my beautiful wife of 25 years.”

Malianna picked up her glass. “And to my wonderful husband of almost 25 years.”

“Almost 25 years?”

“Well, the wonderful part anyhow. Took me a while to housebreak you.”

Clayton smiled. “Good one.”

 

They ate in silence, admiring the last rays of the sun skimming across the lake and then lovingly looking at each other.

“You know, Clay, we didn’t get married for a couple years after you proposed, and you were going to propose anyhow, so I’m not sure it’s right to start counting from that camping trip.”

 

“For me it is. You know how long it usually takes for me to get around to doing things.”

“Yes, like sometimes never – attics and garages come to mind.”

“Well, OK. You got me on that. But it was after we left that old couple looking for the snake – at least the woman was – her husband said he didn’t care for snakes but at least here in Wisconsin they’re only rattlesnakes around Devil’s Lake.”

 

Clayton was looking out the window so Malianna could safely roll her eyes. She had checked; there were rattlers in other parts of SW Wisconsin. She had told him when they first went camping but he always liked to tell the story his way.

 

“Anyhow, we went on ahead but when I turned around twenty feet later – just as the trail turned – there they were, standing on those rocks, tightly hugging. And I thought, gee, that’s the way I’d like for us to be 25 years on. That’s why I proposed back then and that’s why I wanted to come here this time.”

 

“Why, Clay, that’s so sweet. You never told me.”

“Well, I couldn’t. It wouldn’t make sense unless we got to our 25th. And now that we have, now you know.”

Malianna reached out and squeezed his hand.

The waiter returned. “I’ll be back in a minute with your dessert. Is there anything else you need?”

 

They looked at each other and smiled. Malianna said, “No, we have each other.” And Clayton, seeing the dark Bavarian chocolate cake with the candle on the serving stand, asked if they could have espressos with dessert.