Stranger Things Have Happened, I Know

Ch 21 & 22

Chapter 21

                “Ok,” Dave said, smiling at me in bed the next morning. “Give me the back story on our normal lives for this week.”

                “Well… we are happily married,” I began, holding up my hand to admire Dave’s hair tie, still wrapped around my finger.

                “Obviously!” Dave said, rolling his eyes. “And I attribute that to our very, very healthy sex life.”

                “Oh, we have a healthy sex life, do we?” I said, laughing. “Ok… I am a government official and you are a CPA.”

                “Oh Christ, we are normal,” Dave groaned.

                “But… you give music lessons on the side,” I added. He smiled.

                “And we have four kids, who are all staying with my parents this week.”

                “Four kids? I must give a lot lessons,” he said, laughing. “And I must say… you have a fabulous body for having given birth to four babies.”

                “Pilates.” I said simply.

                “OK, darling wife, what would you like to do today, since the kids are at their grandparents?” Dave asked as he crawled out of bed.

                “I would love to go to the beach, dearest husband,” I said, stretching and rising to join him.

                “That sounds amazing,” he answered as we made our way downstairs to make breakfast. We enjoyed our coffee out on the deck then packed up our things and headed back to the beach. Because it was the weekend, the beach was crowded, but we still managed to have fun. A few people recognized Dave once his shirt was off; his unique tattoos giving him away. He polity signed autographs and posed for a few pictures. After a while, we decided we need to cool off with a dip in the ocean. Dave held my hand as we walked down to the water. I stopped and let the waves crash over my feet. It was cool, but not bitingly cold like the ocean in New England. Dave continued in ahead of me and tugged on my arm, trying to pull me in. I shook my head ‘no’. He flashed me a menacing smile and yanked harder and I stumbled forward, deeper into the waves.

                “Daaaaaave!” I whined. “I want to go in slowly, a little at a time.”

                “No way, you got to do it quick, like ripping off a band aide! It’s easier that way,” He took few steps towards me and bent down, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me off my feet. I shrieked as he waded out deeper with me. The waves crashed into his back and broke around us. He lowered me little by little into the water as we waded out deeper. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “See, isn’t this nice?” he asked, kissing me as another wave broke around us. And it was nice. We bobbed back and forth with the tide, kissing one another while the seagulls shrieked above us and the sun beating down on our bare skin.

                “You are the most beautiful pretend wife I have ever had,” Dave whispered. “I really needed this week with you.” I took his face in my hands and kissed him again.

                “I love you,” I said when we separated. I squinted up at the sun, wishing for the millionth time that this really was our life.

                The rest of the week was like living in a dream. I loved having Dave all to myself. We played house together, living in our pretend life, where we were Mr. and Mrs. Grohl, working stiffs with a regular life. A few nights that week, I cooked us dinner, like a good wife and Dave helped me clear the table and do dishes, like a loving husband. In private, we playfully referred to each other as Mr. Grohl and Mrs. Grohl. In public, we were a regular couple, doing regular couple things and acting head over heels in love with each other, which we clearly were.