It was nearly two in the morning by the time they got home from their fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration. They were so tired, they sank into the couch, laughing at their exhaustion.

Richard straightened the little bit of hair he had left. Not that it mattered. Messy hair, either a full head or not, always turned Claire on. He kissed her on her ear and then down her neck. She shivered and reached for Richard’s top button, then shook her head and laughed some more. “I’m far too tired.”

Richard also conceded defeat. “We should’ve had sex this afternoon. Enough energy for gifts, though?” he asked.

Claire’s eyelids wanted to close but she sat up and lifted herself to her feet with a groan.

They both went to retrieve their anniversary presents: Claire in the den, and Richard apparently in the front closet, on the top shelf Claire couldn’t reach. Being the shortest in the family was usually so unfair.

Back on the couch, they exchanged gift bags.

“Of course you’ve done yours up with bows and dried flowers,” Richard said. “This looks beautiful.”

“Bergamot,” Claire said. “Jan’s idea. All that’s missing to make it an Earl Claire is a vanilla pod, but I thought that might smell too strong.”

Richard insisted she open her gift first and handed her a simple lightweight gift bag that said, “Happy Anniversary!” with gold tissue stuffed in the top. Cute: gold for their golden anniversary.

When she opened the gift, she laughed and kissed him: the bag contained a pamphlet for tea gardens on Vancouver Island.

“Since you’ve never seen real tea gardens before,” he said. “But why are you laughing?”

Claire pointed at her gift without saying a word. When Richard opened it, he also began to laugh. Claire’s gift was the same pamphlet plus a brochure for a luxurious hotel.

Claire shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t know if it’s a good thing that we thought of the same gift or if it says we’ve been together too long.”

Richard held her hand and looked deeply into her eyes. “We can never have been together too long.”