I had a key, she gave it to me several months before, kind of a marker in our relationship. She trusted me to have unlimited access to all areas of her life, not an easy feat for her. Letting myself in, I saw a small note taped to the coat tree in the hall, asking me to get her yellow ski coat and hat from the closet in her room, we were planning to do some catching up over a walk along the levy, it had been quite few days since we actually had time to ourselves.

Upon opening the bedroom door, I came across the last thing I ever would have expected. I jumped and almost shut the door again, but there was Bonnie, candles glowing, in...um...in..... something I had never seen her in before, but wasn't exactly unhappy about. She looked up and smiled as my heart rate calmed a bit.
"I thought we were..." I was trying to talk but it came out a bit choked as she moved and I could take in more of what she was wearing. One of the reasons we were going to go out, is to avoid a situation like the one she had seemingly purposely created. I just stood there stupidly staring at her, I imagine with my mouth hanging wide open.

With the combination of her black silky hair that hung down past her waist when she left it down, which was rare, and the black silky gown that barely covered what it needed to, her blue eyes glared, almost out of place.
"Bon, what are you up too..." I smile, beginning to think that this is a joke, as she has always been the one to keep our relationship where is should be. Looking in those blue eyes, now inches in front of me, I see no joking, I almost jump when she touches my arm for the first time. This is a bad situation, very bad.

Backing up a step, I want to ask her again, but she moves to kiss me. This is not my Bonnie, this kiss is physical, causing an even more physical reaction in me, no matter how hard I try to keep my mind clear. Leaving my hands at my sides and refusing to touch her for fear that it might be exactly what she wants from me, she moves in even closer to me and pulls my arm around her.As she pulls me down on the bed beside her I am beginning to really enjoy this. Ok, a little make out session can't hurt, I reason, not like we haven't before. My shirt comes off within minutes, again I reason, happened before, no big deal...I open an eye between her fervent kisses just to make sure that her top isn't the next to come off.

I was cold in the house when I came in, but I don't feel it any longer. It's hard to concentrate on this terrifyingly wonderful surprise she set for me, as she seems like a different person. She has always been gentle, timid almost, when it came to the physical part of our relationship. I always thought that was great, made it easier on me, but now it was resting on my shoulders. I pulled away sharply, grabbing both her arms, I sat up and slid off the bed.
"I want to know what's up...right now." I was firm but gentle, that was something no one understood about Bon, how sensitive she really is on the inside. She always put up that hard exterior so that others would stay away.

She sat up on the bed on her knees. Grabbing the hem of her gown, she pulled it towards her head, I grabbed it as quickly as she started and pulled it back down. This was definitely over with. I looked quickly around the room for an empty bottle, or some explaination of her crazy actions. Picking up my discarded shirt from the floor, I slipped it back on only to look at Bon and find her with a small smile and still no answer for her actions. This pushed the wrong button and angered me a bit.
"Get some clothes on and meet downstairs..." I flung the door open and headed back down to the living room.

I purposely chose this place as it was close to my next destination, Phil's. Now the trick was to get dad to release enough of my trust fund, we didn't get full control until 25, so I could buy it. It, I remember the look on Ike's face when he showed me Kate's ring. I didn't understand it then, but I do now...perfectly.

I guess I must have been lost in thought because the next thing I knew dad was sitting down at the table.
"You order yet...?" he had small smille at the corner of his mouth.
'Nah, not really hungry.." My stomach actually was feeling a bit grumbly, probably just from the tension of having to talk about this. Dad's smile got a bit bigger as he reached into his coat pocket, and brought out the checkbook to my trust. He laid it on the table in front of me.
"Guess your mom was right..I swore to her that it was something else..but she knew." He laughed a bit. "She always has known you boys so well." I cocked my head a bit and took the checkbook, finding the first check signed, waiting for my signature.
"You mind if I come, been a while since I've seen Phil..." he moved his chair closer and leaned in and gave me a hug.
"Ok, dad, let's go..." I got up from the chair, dad following and headed down the block towards the store. No conversation was really needed, I was a man on a mission.

"Tay, wait a sec..." I thought quickly about the fact that Kate had just brushed past a few minutes ago with the *I'm headed to bed...see you in a few* look and was torn as to whether I should go with Tay-he needed someone-or head up to bed with Kate...I knew which would be more pleasant. Darting up the stairs quickly, I kissed my beautiful wife, thought again about how crazy I was and told her I'd be back late, my brother needed me.

The car ride was silent, with the exception of the Bill Withers CD playing softly, he must really be having a time of it--that was only a CD that came out during troubled times.
"So, hey, want a good laugh?" I thought I'd break the silence as we pulled up to the house. Zac's car was in the drive, of course, blocking the garage door.
"Sure, make me laugh.." he looked at me with a small smirk on his face..finally, the first I'd seen today.
"Zac and Lacey are seeing Pastor Dan.." I laughed heartily, knowing that Tay didn't know the humiliation, other than what I had relayed to him, part of the reason he wasn't going with Bonnie. He looked up sharply. I actually thought he might be mad for a second. Then he smiled-
"Bet he'll beat me to it..... man that kid never could stand to be last in line."

We headed up the stairs and through the front door, greeted by rambling piano. It was definitely Zac, he could bang the living daylights out of those drums, but couldn't keep time on the piano for the life of him. We stopped in the doorway looking at him from the back, still unaware that he was being watched. We both saw it at the same time. A small black box open on the top of the piano--a glistening piece of jewlery perched inside. We both looked at each other and fairly yelled at the same time....