My husband and I roamed the party store. Well, I roamed, lingering over glitzy garlands and balloons of every shape. Mike made a beeline for the paper goods. “Don’t forget, we’re only here to look for dessert plates and napkins,” he said.
A large cardboard 40 caught my eye. It was plain white. Sophisticated. “Wouldn’t this look nice beside the table?” I asked.
Mike made a face. “Yikes!” he said.
What was the big deal? I hadn’t even suggested the glittery one.
A few months earlier, I’d brought up the idea of a vow renewal to mark our fortieth anniversary. To my surprise, Mike was on board. He hated any fuss, but we both agreed that our long, happy marriage
