I.

            “Hey, I’m working late again… Sorry, it’s just that Michael screwed up all the paperwork, and corporate is breathing down my neck. Ryan doesn’t let anything slide. I’ll be home eventually. Love you.”

            Jim’s voice flooded the empty apartment. Pam sighed as she kicked off her shoes. She had hoped to be able to spend the night with him, but it looked like it was going to be another night alone.

            “Oh well, if I’m going to be alone, I will at least enjoy it,” Pam said to herself. She got changed into pajamas, and put The Princess Bride into the DVD player. Jim would always watch it with her if she wanted, but she could tell he didn’t enjoy it as much as she did. As the previews played, Pam got a bag of popcorn and curled up on the couch.

            Two hours later, Jim walked into the apartment, and saw Pam asleep on the couch. He smiled, seeing her curled up in a ball, her hair all over the armrest. He went into the hall closet and dug out an extra blanket. Kissing her forehead, he covered her up before going to bed himself.

II.

            “Jim? What are you doing home from work already?” Pam asks, surprised to see Jim already home.

            “No reason. Just couldn’t stay away from my lovely wife any longer. Besides, I got you flowers.” Jim motions to the bouquet on the table.

            “Flowers? Carnations! My favorite. They smell amazing.” Pam takes a deep breath, inhaling the rich scent. “So, what’s the reason?”

            “What?”

            “Why did you get me flowers? Did you break something? Are you going take a business trip or something?”

            “What makes you think that I did something bad?”

            “Because, guys don’t get their wives flowers for no reason.”

            “Well, how ‘bout because I am madly in love with you, and I just wanted to make you happy.”

            “Well then, I guess I must be pretty lucky to be married to a guy like you.”

            “Yep. Pretty lucky. I’m constantly turning down other girls, they are just fighting over me.”

            “Dork.”

            “Dork who brought you flowers.”

            Pam cuddles up to Jim, “Yep, you’re a dork, but you’re my dork.”

III.

            “God, Jim, you wouldn’t believe what I had to deal with today! It was just horrible. I mean, Adam was just breathing down my back all day, and he wouldn’t accept any of my designs. For some reason, he just wanted this one box like thing, even though it was a waste of materials. Every time I suggested something new, he shot it down, and didn’t even listen!”

            “Ouch. Rough day. But, it is his money, and his business…”

            “JIM! Not the point. I don’t even want to associate myself with that horror now. How am I going to build up a portfolio if all I can do is design what he wants, not what I want!”

            “Well, maybe soon he’ll start listening to your opinions. I mean, just give it a bit…”

            “But I’ve been there for – Jim, what is this?”

            “Dinner.”

            “You made dinner?”

            “Don’t sound so surprised, I can cook.”

            “You made dinner.” Pam was nearly choking back tears.

            “For your enjoyment, tuna noodle patties, mashed potatoes, peas, and gravy. By candlelight,” Jim says, turning off the lights, candles illuminating the room.

            Pam grins, “Just like mom used to make.”

            “Actually, exactly. I kind of had to call her up for help.”

            “You are too perfect for your own good.”

IV.

            “You cleaned?”

            “Is it really that surprising?” Jim knew that he wasn’t the best housekeeper, but Pam was acting as if a pink elephant just walked through their living room.

            “You did the dishes… vacuumed… you even dusted!” Pam was looking around, amazed. “You hate dusting.”

            “Well, unless we wanted to claim the dust bunnies as pets, I figured it was time to do something about them.”

            “Did you do laundry?” Pam asked hopefully.

            “No.” Pam’s face fell. “Come on Pam. Think. Trust me, everything would wind up pink, wrinkly, and two sizes too small.”

            “How can you not know how to do laundry?”

            “I can do my laundry. You just stick it all in. But yours has all this ‘wash in this type of water with these and use this cycle and only dry for this long and then do this and do that’ stuff on the tag.”

            “So, if I just stick it in, press the button, take it out, stick it in the dryer for an hour, you would be fine with it.”

            “Okay, I’ll do my laundry, you do yours.”

            “Sounds good. But at least I did the rest.”

            “Yes, at least you did everything else.”

V.

            “God, I hate gardening.” Pam sighed and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Why did I ever plant these things?”

            “Because, you love flowers and you know it.”

            “Nope. I hate this stuff. Next spring – plastic flowers. That’s all. Everything plastic. We’ll spray perfume on them or something.”

            “Well, maybe by next spring we can be in our own house, with a terrace full of flowers.”

            “Don’t even joke about that Jim. These things are evil. Just when you think you can take a breath, you’ve got to weed them, water them, do something to them.”

            “Uh, sweetie, they are plants. What are you going to do when we have kids? I mean, if you can’t even take care of a flower…”

            Pam shoots Jim an evil look.

            Jim gets up and goes to Pam. “It’s okay. I’ll make sure the kids don’t die. Besides, if they were plastic flowers, could I do this?” Jim breaks off a flower and places it in Pam’s hair. “There, now you’re beautiful,” he says, kissing her forehead.