The young black-haired, attractive woman was slowly making her way down the mountain trail. She took deep breaths of fresh, cool air as she drank in the desolate beauty of the Himalayas. It had always been her dream to hike through them and part of her still couldn’t believe that she was really here, the kids were with grandma, and the two of them were finally celebrating their honeymoon.

Things had been so busy with her schooling, art, the kids, the wedding, and finally grad school. Then her parents had forced them to take this trip as a present upon completing her dissertation and finishing her degree.

Smiling, she took one more deep breath and then she stopped in the middle of the trail before turning around to look behind her.

“Come on Kevin!” She called out with an eager smile. “We’re almost to the hut then we can stop for the day and get something to eat.”

“I’m coming Hen, Hold your horses.” He said chuckling. “This trail is a little steep.”

The woman frowned crossly as the man looked up to her with an innocent looking smile that only seemed to irritate her further.

“Oh god," she began rolling her eyes. "You know how much I hate that nickname…it is Henrietta…Hen…Re..Eh…Ta. Simple right?” She asked dangerously calm.

“Oh is it?” the man asked again innocently. “Sorry Hennie, I forgot.”

“So…” she said coldly while placing her hand on her on her hips over the hip belt of her backpack. “Does the condemned have any final words before his summary execution? Or would you like those to be your final words?”

God how can that smug smirk be so annoying and yet charming at the same time…he is so irritating!

“Just one,” he said as he came to a stop before her, cupped her chin with is fingers, and gave her a kiss. She melted for several long moments unable to think and forgetting that she was supposed to be upset with him. Finally, she pulled her lips away and frowned at him.

“That wasn’t a word…” she said plainly to cover up her softening resolve.

Kevin’s eyes twinkled as his arms roamed her body and she gasped in surprise and then giggled.

“Stop that…not there!” she continued giggling as she pushing his hands away from her pants. “That’s not a word either mister…and I’m mad at you.”

“Funny, you don’t sound mad in fact you sound quite...happy…” he said as his arms moved up to her sides.

Her eyes went wide realizing what he was preparing to do.

“Don’t you Dare! Do it and you’re a dead man,” she said concern in her voice.

“What? This?” he asked grinning and began to tickle her.

The moment his fingers started to move she burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter, feebly trying to push him away before her legs finally gave out and she slumped against him. Kevin held her up as she continued laughing, not fazed at all by her weight.

“NO…STOP!” she gasped between laughs “THAT’S...CHEATING!”

Kevin’s laugh joined hers as the relentless assault lasted for what seemed like several long minutes. Finally, she cried out still squirming.

“NO…REALLY…STOP…I’M GONNA…PEE! I'M...GONNA PEE!” she pleaded and was finally rewarded with a tentative cease fire. She clung to him panting for several minutes to catch her breath while enjoying the feeling of his arms around her before finally regaining her feet and looking up at him.

“Ok, I’ll forgive you this time…” she trailed off still feeling light headed.

“Why thank you Mrs. Martin,” Kevin added solemnly, but his eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Oh…I like that name…” she said grinning up at him and this time she kissed him long and deep before pulling away again. “Just for that maybe I’ll even think about trying that thing I was thinking about tonight…”

“Oh?” Keven asked his full attention now on his wife. “What’s that?”

“Oh nothing…” she said trailing off. “I was just curious if two people could fit into that sleeping bag of yours…it is quite a bit larger than mine.”

“Were you now?” he asked intrigued at the idea before, without a word, he started forward along the trail.

He isn’t the only one who knows a thing about manipulation, Henrietta thought grinning to herself smugly with her eyes focused on his backside as Kevin walked on ahead.

She had never been happier in her life, and as happy as she was in this moment, she couldn’t shake that ever present feeling that something deeply important was missing. Like some key piece to a puzzle that without which nothing quite made sense…like some important task…duty...was left undone. And her heart wept…deep down where even she didn’t know….it wept for it would never know the true splendors and glory of creation...of life…of magic.

“Well come on we’re almost to the hut,” Kevin called out to her without looking back.

She shook herself out of her reverie and smiled broadly.

“Coming!” she said brightly.
.

.

.

Yet there was one thing she would discover…yes…two people could indeed fit…