It was early June and all the windows in the house were wide open when I came home from the gallery. I had ridden the city bus to the edge of the business side of the street and walked the remaining way home. It was such a beautiful day. I walked up the stone walkway to the stoop and checked the mailbox, pulling a stack of mail from it. I unlocked the door and stepped inside, leaving my shoes just beside the door. “Roger?” I called. No answer. I thought maybe he was asleep in the family room so I poked my head around the doorway to the couch.  Not there. I made my way upstairs to change clothes. After a long evenin’ at the gallery, I was very ready to get out of these clothes. I could hear some children outside playin’ at the house next door through our open window as I pulled my clothes off and threw them on the bed. I walked over to the closet and pulled out a couple hangers, scooping up the dirty clothes piled up in the corner.

 I threw the pile into the hamper and hung up my clothes. I changed quickly into the same thing I wore nearly every evenin’ and piled my hair in a mound on top my head. Call it my ‘go to’ look, if you will. The stairs creaked under my feet as I made my way into the kitchen. There was a note on the table: Babe-rehearsing until 8 –R. Ah, so that’s where Roger was. I glanced up at the clock: 7:17. This was plenty of time. I went into the family room to straighten up the magazines on the table and fold the throw. I slung it over the back of the couch and turned on the lamp. I didn’t want Roger comin’ in to a dark house when dusk crept in.  I turned on the telly and picked up the pack of cigarettes on the table, pulling one out of the pack.  Roger had a stack of coupons that he had clipped from the Sunday paper lyin’ in a pile. I placed the lighter on top the stack after lighting my cigarette. I didn’t want the air from the open window scattering them everywhere.

 I went into the kitchen to get dinner started. I was gonna’ get some soup on and bake on of those pre-packaged bread mixes. I held my cigarette between my lips and pulled some things out of the refrigerator. I pre-heated the oven and cleared a space off to work. I didn’t have anythin’ to complete tonight for my university classes. I was takin’ one summer course but I never had much to do for it. I had decided to pop the door in the kitchen open as I cooked to keep it a little cooler. It was such a pleasant summer evening as the sun began slipping lower and lower on the horizon. I could hear some sprinklers outside in the nearby yards showering the grass with a gentle sprinkle. I exhaled cigarette smoke heavily and needed to ash a good deal of it off as I reached for a knife to chop up the chicken I had pulled out of the refrigerator.

 By 8:41, I had set the table in the dining room and the smell of chicken soup and baking bread had filled the house. I knew I needed to get that loaf out of the oven or it would burn for sure. I pulled it from the oven and sat the pan on top the stove to cool. I heard the front door open. Roger was home.

 “Lyd? Lyd? Somethin’ smells good in here.” I could hear him comin’ through the door and takin’ his shoes off. I gave my soup one last stir as I heard Roger’s footsteps across the floor comin’ into the kitchen. I wiped my hands off and threw the towel aside.

 “Hi, how was rehearsal?” I said as I got my customary ‘comin’ through the door’ kiss.

 “Oh Lyd, I got some news for you. I mean, this…this is big stuff.” Roger dropped his bag of stuff to the floor. I could hear sticks rattle against each other when he dropped it.  He put his hands on my shoulders. I saw Roger’s sunglasses hangin’ from his shirt. I was pleased he was wearin’ those so much. I had finally talked him in to prescription lenses a couple months back. I knew he would never wear glasses…but he would gladly wear perscription sunglasses. It was amazin’ how much his vision had improved once he started wearin’ those.

 “Okay, well this is ready so sit down and you can tell me all about whatever it is you got to tell me.” I kissed him again before spinning around to take the soup pot to the table.

 “Here, here. I’ll get that.” Roger insisted. I let him take the soup pot while I got the bread. I would cut it at the table. Roger smelled of a combination of outside, cigarette smoke, and that clean scent that always hung on him as if he had just stepped out of the shower. Even after nearly a year, it still made me weak. As Roger sat the soup pot down, I could tell he was about to explode. He barely sat on the edge of the chair.

 “You want some cola or somethin’?” I asked. He shook his head excitedly. I sat the bread on the table and returned to the refrigerator. I had also left the bread knife on the counter. I opened up the bottle and slid it across the table toward Roger. He had already ladled out some soup into my bowl as I took the knife to the bread. “Alright, what’s goin’ on?” I smiled at Roger.

 “Okay.” Roger sighed. “Okay, we’ve been asked to do some recording…like for a record, Lyd. Recording! We’ve got a set of songs and everythin’! We got twelve tracks and someone to help us with cover artwork. There’s a recording space at Ridge Farm up in Surrey that will charge us by the week and not by the hour or the day!” Roger stopped to catch his breath. It tickled me to see how very excited he was. I hadn’t seen those blue eyes light up like that since the time in the back alley behind the bar where he asked me to be his girlfriend.

 “Oh my god, Roger!” I didn’t know what else to say. I was speechless. I couldn’t hide my happiness for him. I knew how much this meant. I put my hands over my mouth.

 “Wait…wait…look.” I watched Roger get into his back pocket and pull something out. “There’s a photographer who’s gonna’ come up there and shoot us. He’s already paid us for the time and commitment.” Roger smiled all over and showed me a check for 575 pounds. I looked at the check and looked at him. I utterly couldn’t believe this.

 “Oh, sweetheart. Look at that.” I put the knife down and walked over to Roger, sitting in his lap and slinging my arm around him. “I love you. I’m very excited for you.” I assured him. Roger glowed. His smile tore right through me, as it always did.

 “Alright, Lyd. Now. Think about this.” Roger began as I stood up and went back to my chair on the other side of the table. I continued cutting the loaf of bread and watching him. “We talked to a guy a real long time tonight. Ridge Farm is a horse farm or somethin’. The farm owners have been lookin’ for someone who knows horses to help their daughter. And I know you don’t like this but I told the guy that you were from an esteemed horse farm. Lyd, you go with us to Ridge Farm. You’re only takin’ the one class this summer so it’s no big deal. You can get someone to cover you at the gallery. Veronica can go, Chrissie can go. And get this…get this, Lyd. Freddie’s been seein’ someone and he hasn’t told any of us!” Roger shared as I took a drink of my cola. My eyes perked up in a bit of a shock. I was getting a lot of information in a little bit of time.

 “What do you mean he’s been seein’ someone?” I asked, blindsided by this information.

 “I mean, Freddie met someone and he’s been seein’ her for two months. Can you believe he didn’t bloody say anythin’? I can’t! I’m his best friend and I didn’t know nothin’ about it!” Roger was gettin’ worked up.

 “Hmm. Do you think he’ll offer to take ‘er to this farm? I asked, handing over a piece of bread to Roger.

 “I don’t know. I asked him to tell me about her but he didn’t say much. Ah, Lyd…think about it…summers in Surrey are supposed to be so very pleasant. The farm owners have a tennis court, a pool, they live on a pretty big estate…but not like yours.” Roger went on and on as he shoved my soup down. And then, an idea hit me. I was getting ready to take the first bite of my soup but I just stared at Roger, my mouth a bit agape.

 “Rog…we could get the Ferrari and drive it up there. God, we could take it through the countryside where there’s not many speed limitations and the roads are so very straight. Get it up to 110 and that car will purr. ” Roger dropped his spoon and looked at me. I thought certain he was going to have a heart attack.

 “Lyd…” he paused and blinked a few times. “See. That’s one of things I love about ya’. You like fast cars and your father has one. Do you really think we could take the Ferrari?” Roger asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

 “Don’t see why not. My dad wouldn’t mind. I’ll call and have Winston, the driver, bring it down here to us. When do we leave for this Ridge Farm? I’ll need to make some arrangements you know.” I was beyond excited.

 “The guy we were talkin’ to is gonna’ confirm it with the family but we will probably need to leave on Monday.” Roger shared with me.

 “And for how long?” I had final taken a bite of soup.

 “Two weeks. But, if you can’t get someone to cover you at the gallery or somethin’ you don’t have the stay the whole time. You can always come back here.” Roger assured me.  I smiled.

 “You and a horse farm in Surrey? Roger, you know we’ll be together the full two weeks there.” I promised him. He absolutely beamed at me. I knew that’s the answer he wanted to hear from me anyway.