At 86 and 83, George and Mildred decided their marriage needed a little spark.

“We’ve become too predictable,” Mildred announced over breakfast. “Every night, you watch the news, I do the crossword, and we fall asleep arguing about the thermostat.”

George lowered his newspaper.

“Would it help if I watched the news without my shirt?”

“It would help if you watched it without giving a speech after every headline.”

They agreed to recreate their honeymoon: a candlelit dinner, romantic music, and a night at the hotel where they’d stayed sixty years earlier.

At dinner, Mildred reached across the table.

“Remember how you used to whisper things that made my knees weak?”

George smiled.

“Your orthopedic surgeon called.”

“Romantic things, George.”

“Oh. You look beautiful tonight.”

Mildred blushed. “That’s better.”

“And this lighting makes it impossible to see the bill.”

After dinner, they went upstairs to their room.

Mildred disappeared into the bathroom and emerged wearing the silky nightgown she’d bought for the occasion.

George stared.

“Well?” she asked, striking a pose against the doorway.

“Wonderful.”

“Does it bring back memories?”

“Yes. That’s exactly how you stood on our wedding night.”

Mildred smiled. “You remember?”

“Of course. Although back then, you weren’t holding on to the doorframe.”

She tossed a pillow at him.

“Tonight, I want you to treat me like you did when we were newlyweds.”

George rose slowly, walked over, and kissed her.

Then he kissed her neck.

Mildred closed her eyes.

“Oh, George… take your time.”

“I am. My left slipper’s caught under the bed.”

Once freed, he took her hand and led her toward the mattress.

“Wait,” Mildred whispered. “Let me slip into something more comfortable.”

George watched her reach into her overnight bag.

Out came her reading glasses, slippers, knee brace, and a small cushion for her lower back.

“There,” she said. “Now I’m ready for anything.”

George switched off the lamp.

A moment later, Mildred whispered, “Darling, say something bold. Something daring. Something you’ve wanted to say for years.”

George took a deep breath.

“I’ve never liked your sister.”

The lamp came straight back on.

“Something romantic, you fool!”

“Oh.”

He thought for a moment, then smiled.

“You’re still the only woman who can make my heart race.”

Mildred softened.

“Really?”

“Absolutely. Yesterday you said you were going upstairs to get a hammer.”

She laughed, switched the light off again, and snuggled closer.

For a few minutes, everything was quiet.

Then George whispered, “Mildred?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Was it good for you?”

She lifted her head.

“George, we haven’t done anything yet.”

“I know,” he said. “But I got onto this mattress without pulling a muscle, and I need someone to appreciate it.”🤣😂