April Fool's Day!

Fifty-five years ago a young couple in New York City woke up in bed next to each other for the first time. My parents rolled over and looked at one another. My father looked lovingly into his new wife's face, raised his eyebrows impishly and cheerily said, "April Fool's Day!" Mother rolled her eyes and knew she would be in for an interesting life with this man, my father. They are still holding hands, snuggling, and enjoying April Fool's Day today.

Yesterday was my parents' fifty-fifth anniversary. When I called Cosentino's Florist shop, Barbara, the clerk, laughed and told me that my father had just called to see if my mother's corsage was ready to be picked up. He buys her a corsage every year that she happily wears to church. Then after church, they'll go home and have some of my mother's tomato bread and lentil stew, then fall asleep in the living room.
They are happiest together. My father bought two recliner chairs, took off the arms on one side, and bolted them together. That way, my mother can sit very close to him and fall asleep on his shoulder while they watch television at night. Love has kept them together all these years, and love will continue to hold them close.
My parents have defied national divorce statistics. They are still happy. They still sleep in one bed together, back-to-back, with the window open in the dead of a New York winter. They still eat all their meals together. They still hold hands out when they go buy groceries. And when they hear Begin the Beguine, they have more than once danced off down the aisle of the store, much to the chagrin of us kids, who scattered like baby quails under the pine trees.
Lest you think that my parents are perfect, think again. They snipe at one another sometimes. My father drinks too much chocolate milk and eats too many cookies according to my mother. But she won't let things go, my father will be quick to tell you. And so they move on into their old age, happily, and together.
Happy Anniversary, Mother and Daddy. And April Fool's Day, world. You didn't win.