Thrillseekers

     Erica texted on her phone as she waited for Clark to meet her for lunch. She hoped he wouldn’t be late today because she had to cut her break short for an afternoon meeting. To save time, she already ordered food for both of them and munched on her salad between texts. She was so absorbed, she didn’t even notice when Clark rushed through the café door.

     “Hi dear. I hope you weren’t waiting long.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek and took the seat across from her.

     “No problem,” she said, finishing her text and closing her phone. “How was your day?”

     “Busy as usual,” Clark took a bite of his sandwich. “Looks like I’ll be working late again tonight.”

     “Yeah, me too.” Her phone beeped as she spoke. She glanced at the new text. “And it looks like I have an early meeting tomorrow. Sometimes I wish our lives were a little less hectic.”

     “I was thinking the same thing,” said Clark. “And I have an idea. What do you say we fly to New York this weekend?”

     Erica almost dropped her phone. “New York? This weekend? Are you nuts?”

     “Yes, New York. This weekend.” He took her hand in his. “Think about it, Sweetie. We can stay in a nice hotel, see a show and leave all our stress behind for a couple days. No planning, no deliberation, just jump on a plane and follow our impulses.”

     “Oh my, Clark. Can we really do it? It sounds so… spontaneous.” Her cheeks flushed red and she couldn’t help grinning.

     Still holding her hand, Clark looked deep into her eyes. “Of course we can. Just say the word and I’ll buy the tickets on my phone right now.”

     “Let’s do it!” she said. “Oh no, wait… I have the museum fundraiser Saturday night. I put a lot of work into it and I really need to be there.”

     Clark smacked his forehead with his hand. “Yes, that’s right. I totally forgot. Well, how about next weekend?”

     Erica pulled up a calendar app on her phone. “No, that’s your parents’ anniversary. We’ve had those reservations for months. How about the weekend after that?”

     Clark pulled a daily planner out of his coat pocket and flipped through it. “No can do. My clarinet ensemble has a show at the library, and your brother is visiting the weekend after that. How’s March looking for you?”

     And so, after some deliberation, Erica and Clark set a date for an impulsive trip to New York on the second weekend in May, pending the status of a golf outing with Clark’s boss and a possible dinner party with Erica’s sister.

     “This is so exciting!” Erica stood up and grabbed her purse. “I have to run, but I’ll see you tonight.”

     She gave him a kiss and ran out the door feeling giddy. She knew she was lucky to have a man who was so spontaneous.

     Clark returned to work feeling giddy, too. He was proud of his spontaneity.