One night I decided to put my glass aside.
When Victor left the kitchen for a few minutes, I put the drink away.
The next morning I noticed that one of the nearby plants didn’t look as good as it had the day before.
I was surprised and spent part of the day thinking about what might have happened.
I remembered all those years and began to ask myself questions.
Why was that drink so special?
Why did Victor always keep it in the same place?
And why did he never talk about his origins?
Victor, meanwhile, remained the same attentive man he always was.
When I was having a difficult day, he would help me.
When she was tired, she would prepare dinner.
When Emily needed something, he was always available for her.
That’s why I found it even more curious that he kept that little tradition a secret.
A few weeks later, I put the glass aside again.
The next morning, Victor looked at me and asked:
—You didn’t finish your glass yesterday.
—How do you know?
She smiled.
—We have been sitting together at this time for thirty-five years.
That answer increased my curiosity even more.
From then on I began to think frequently about the story of that bottle.
Until our thirty-fifth wedding anniversary arrived.
Victor took out an old photo album.
We spent the afternoon reminiscing about some of the best moments of our life together.
Finally, he pointed to the bottle and said:
—Someday you will know why this little tradition has been so important to me.
—And why don’t you tell me now?
Victor smiled.
—It’s not the right time yet.
Months later, Victor was no longer home.
The house felt different and much quieter.
One night, at exactly nine o’clock, I prepared two glasses out of habit.
Then I stared at them for a few minutes.
The next morning I took the old bottle and decided to finally discover what was behind that tradition.
I took it to a laboratory to determine its exact composition.
A few days later I received a call.
—Mrs. Carter, we would like to explain the results to you personally.
