Re'em and Mai came home from work within an hour of each other and the apartment already seemed a bit more empty, and nothing had even moved, except for Bets. Bethany had asked if they wouldn't mind throwing her clothes into suitcases. She kept most of her stuff in labeled, clear plastic tubs so that she knew where she had everything. It was hard to do when all three of them had such similar items. In this case, it just meant taking the boxes out of the bedroom and setting them near the door. The two of them made pretty quick work of the boxes. The clothes were still everywhere. Neither of them wanted to pack that mess. They were able to get the undergarments into her smaller carry-on bag. Her pajamas were in some order, and much easier to smoosh into the same carry-on. Her shoes though?? What the heck did she want them to do with those? The linens? Jiminy! They both stared at the amount of stuff and made a mutual decision to stop. It just couldn't all be done at once.

Not long after they walked out of the bedroom, it felt like it should be dinner time. Bethany came strolling into the apartment as if she'd never left. The girls were so excited to see their friend, but equally sorry, because they knew that her bedroom was a nightmare. She seemed happy to see the bins all by the door. That was good news at least. All three headed toward the kitchen, as Bets had all of the stuff that Beckett needed in order to prepare dinner. He came through the door and was happy to see all of the bins by the door as well. Neither of them seemed pressed about the stuff that they knew was in the bedroom.

"Is this considered one of your bucket list items? Packing up my apartment and moving in with my husband. Check!" Mai laughed, check-marking the air in front of her. All of them responded with laughter.

"It is now," she replied with a smile. They were all watching her preparing to boil some water in a large stainless steel pot for the potatoes that she was supposed to be washing.

"My sous chef is slacking," Beckett came from behind her and maneuvered his food items within his own range of view. There was a certain level of protest from the peanut gallery.

"I just got in here!" she yelped. He pretended as if he didn't hear her. Re'em filled up the wine glasses with sparkling water. There had been enough drinking within the last couple days. The women went and sat at the stools stationed on the other side of the kitchen island. Beckett Food Network was on for the enjoyment of those sitting at the bar. It was fresh gnocchi bake. Simple and delish.

There was a small part of them that felt that they should be working to clean up her bedroom...but they couldn't force themselves to go in there. Watching Becks whip up dinner in the kitchen was just what the doctor had ordered this evening.

Within twenty minutes, the meal had been thrown into the oven and Beckett was diving into a bag for the surprises he had purchased for both Mai and Re'em earlier in the day as a thank you for helping them. Bethany gave him a grateful look and watched as each of them shared their desserts with Bets. Beckett nodded and took a long drink of water from the glass the girls had provided.

In no time at all, he was pulling the piping hot dish out of the oven and plating the food."Order up!" He set a dish full of cheese filled goodness before each of the ladies. One of the reasons that Beckett enjoyed cooking for people was that it filled a need. Not everyone had the talent that he knew that he had with food, but he was humble enough to realize that the food was really the star. That was probably the number one reason for his success in the restaurant world.

He heard a quiet satisfaction as the women tasted their first bite. Dinner was filled with happiness. While they ate their meal, he decided to be proactive and start taking the bins by the door and pack them into the car.

By the time that he got back they were in the kitchen, refilling glasses and getting another small serving. They all looked up as if they had been caught stealing. He laughed and continued gathering the bins. He wished there was a lazy man's way to get them all out to the car in one trip like he'd done with the groceries.

"Wouldn't it be fun if Beckett created the movie experience like L.A. at his restaurant here?" Mai asked with curiosity. It was something to think about from an entrepreneurial standpoint, but he didn't think that Becks really had the interest in doing something like that except as maybe a specialty event.

"So how was last night??" the girls asked almost in unison. Beckett came back in through the front door and waited to hear the answer to that question along with Mai and Re'em.

"Yes, Bethany, how would you rate last night?" he asked with a curious smile. The two women looked from Becks to Bets wondering what exactly had happened in the few short hours that they had been apart.

"Well, Beckett got to experience the night terror from Hell." Bethany laughed. "It was awful. My throat still hurts." Her friends were sympathetic toward Beckett. But it made for a superb transition into night terror stories with Bets of the past. It turned out that there had been a handful of incidents that were four or even five alarms that had taken place when the girls were in their first apartment together that secured Beckett's initiation as a true roomie for life. There was a lot of laughter that night before Bethany went to her purse and pulled out three envelopes.

"SO, these are the results of my first solo bucket item. I was going to write to a person who really made an impact on my life in thanks..but I found out that he had passed away years ago. His obituary was filled with the person I knew, and a whole big chunk of these other people(still him of course), but that I had no idea was also him. He was one of my High School English teachers, and I was so sad to see that he had died at 60! The tribute that was left was full of pictures of him as a child, of him as a soldier, where he had received a Bronze star. I just never would have thought that he was a military man. Of him with his students, of him being silly. I loved that so many people remembered him so well. Students left Haikus, his favorite." Bethany handed out each of the envelopes to the proper recipient. "So, my bucket list item was to write a snail mail letter, because somehow they mean more, to a person who helped mold me, in a way. I guess I'm just more lucky because I've had so many. The lesson remains, if you're thinking of someone, try to tell them as quickly as you can. No one is promised tomorrow. We say it, but it's sadly the truth."

No one expected the night to end on such a high and low...