New Bathtub Planning
‘Oh, Harold, isn’t this marvellous?’ Lucinda giggled, twirling around their freshly-renovated bathroom with a smile.
‘It’s nice,’ he said, forcing himself to smile as he gazed around at the gleaming tiles and gilded fixtures.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked him immediately. Twenty years of marriage stripped away any hint of inner mystery – she could read him like a picture book.
‘I’m just…’ he started, then waved her off with a sigh. ‘No, forget it,’ he said. ‘There’s no need to waste any thought on it, dearest.’
‘Come now,’ she swept over to him, grasping him by the hand. ‘You know you can share anything with me.’
‘I’m just worried that we’re not going to be able to enjoy all of this,’ he said with a sigh, gesturing at the room around them. ‘How long before we need to start looking at bathtub solutions for elderly people?’
‘Oh, we’re hardly at that stage,’ she laughed. ‘We’re still young!’
‘Not forever though, darling,’ Harold sighed. ‘Not even for much longer. The years are speeding up, and I’m just worried that we’re never going to be able to enjoy this amazing bathtub—’
‘Stop,’ she said gently, laying her hands over his temples. ‘It’s okay, dearest. I understand.’
He looked up at her now, neck craned slightly. He slumped, disappointed that he’d brought down her mood.
‘I just know how much a bathtub remodel costs around Sydney,’ he whispered. ‘I don’t know that we’ll be able to do it again, especially once we’re retired.’
‘Then let’s rip it out now!’ she laughed, bringing him to his full height again.
‘What?’ he asked, confused.
‘Let’s get rid of this bathtub – I don’t like it much anyway.’
‘You love that bath—’
‘Pfft,’ she cut him off with a wink. ‘I love you more. And I want you to be happy. If you can’t be happy with that thing sitting there, then guess what? It’s gone! And we put in something better for the long term. How does that sound?’
He smiled up at her, then his eyes flicked to the bath.
‘Well…’ he said. ‘It’d be a shame not to use it once.’