He had purchased a nice tent with partitions and some camping equipment. When they traveled, they could stay in hotels, but there was no reason they couldn't camp out on a weekend in a tent. There was a large lake and plenty of camping grounds close to them. They could hike trails and fish together. They had nearly 200 acres of their own wildlife safari that he had only seen as a business in the last few years. Now they rode the trails as a family for enjoyment. Life was different now - more enjoyable. It was too bad some people had to nearly lose it all before they appreciated what they had.
Being married nine years didn't mean the romance had left their marriage. There was as much romance now as there ever was. It was simply a different kind of romance. It wasn't the first love kind of romance where a person was poised on the edge of heartbreak, uncertain where it would lead. It was the kind built from confidence gained by facing challenges and coming out on the winning side. They could have torn their marriage apart blaming each other, but instead they backed each other and worked together to resolve their problems. It was a good feeling and it made him love Carmen all the more for her part. She was an amazing woman; an amazing mother and wife.
Carmen loved him. He knew that not because she told him so but because she showed him. He didn't want to go on the trip, but he went because he didn't want her to go alone. She knew that and she resented it, yet she accepted it and even tried to make it more enjoyable for him. She tried to understand his point of view, even when she didn't agree. Carmen had taught him a lot about what love was and wasn't. If it hadn't been for her, he probably still wouldn't be talking to Señor Medena. If it hadn't been for her, he would still be working at the clinic for another couple of hours. He didn't need to now. It was time to go home and enjoy some quality time with his family.
He stood and removed his smock, tossing it in the laundry cart as he left his office. He whistled a catchy tune as he walked through the lobby. Saundra glanced up from her desk.
"It must be time to go home. You're always the first one out that door now. What's up with that?"
He grinned. "Maybe I have something better waiting at home for me than the rest of you."