Yours Truly

Bowtie

Seymour paced quickly in the front hall of their little home in Greenville. Audrey leaned against the wall, smiling internally at her husband's slightly unnecessary fluster.

"What happens if I go to the wrong place? What if I have the wrong time and I'm supposed to be there right now? Or if I get stuck in traffic and I'm late? What if something went wrong in the bank's calculations and I don't have the right amount? What if I look like a fool?" Seymour's pacing continued and his hands fluttered nervously.

"Seymour, darlin', we spent at least a half-hour last night and another hour this mornin' double checkin'!" Audrey reasoned, "There's no way any of the information's wrong. And banks are . . . banks. They don't make mistakes,"

"Yeah, but what if they do this time?" Seymour paused and looked dead at her, a look of boyish panic in his eyes.

"They won't," Audrey said, "Now stop running your fingas through your hair, you'll mess it up,"

Seymour retreated from the hall and into the kitchen, pulling out the briefcase for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning.

"Let's see here," Seymour pulled a handful of documents, "Bank Statements, check. Business Documents, check. Tax Documents, check. Is that everything?"

"Yes, dear," Audrey crossed to the table and combed her fingers through his hair, both comforting him and moving his curls back into a more acceptable position.

"Does the bowtie look okay? Is it too much?" Seymour got up again and stared himself down in the small hanging mirror in the front hall.

"No, of course not! You've always looked good in a bowtie, and you know it," As she looked Seymour up and down, she did start to notice a few things off about his outfit. She could tell him, but she didn't want to lower his already bare minimum confidence. But she had another solution . . .

"I've never bought a business property . . ." Seymour continued.

"You've bought a house," Audrey countered, "And a car,"

"Yeah, but this might — probably will — be different! And even if I do get the place . . . I've never run a business before! What if it doesn't work out? What'll I do then? What if . . ."

Just then, he felt a tug on his bowtie and Audrey's delicate lips on his. Passionate and sudden, it took Seymour a moment to connect all the dots.

Audrey ran her hands up and down Seymour's body as she kissed him, fixing various things. Tucking in the back of his dress shirt where it had come loose; unbuttoning the very top button of his shirt, as was more fashionable and more comfortable; straightening his vest.

Confused on her motives, Seymour felt a rush of extra excitement. Audrey was intoxicating. From the moment she began to touch him, he forgot where he was, what he was doing, and why he could possibly be nervous with her so close to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, allowing himself to be comforted by her.

After a few minutes, Audrey broke the kiss, leaving Seymour somewhat disappointed and still wondering what he was doing beforehand.

"You'll do fine," Audrey said, straightening his bowtie as a final touch.

"I'll do fine," Seymour said, his familiar goofy grin spread across his face, "Now remind me, where I'm going?"

"To finalize the purchase of the new store, silly!" Audrey said with fake exasperation.

"Oh, yes! Of course," Regaining his bearings, Seymour picked up his briefcase and gave a nod of determination. He turned around and took another deep breath as he opened the door. On his way down the walk, he heard Audrey call out.

"I'll be here when you get back!"

He turned back and waved. She waved to, but not before giving a flirtatious wink. Once again, Seymour felt the heat rise in his cheeks. Yes, he chuckled to himself, she'll definitely be here when I get back.