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On a calm Sunday evening, Bert and Edna — married for fifty-five years — sat side by side on their old porch swing. The air was warm, the tea in their mugs was lukewarm, and the two of them watched squirrels in the yard squabble over a single cheese puff as the sun began to sink behind the trees.
The Bucket List Idea
Edna broke the comfortable silence.
“Bert,” she said with a thoughtful sigh, “let’s talk about our bucket lists.”
Bert’s eyebrows shot up. “Lists of buckets? At my age, Edna, my biggest goal is to wake up tomorrow and remember where I put my pants.”
Edna chuckled. “No, I mean things we’ve always wanted to do before it’s too late.”
After a pause, Bert admitted, “Well… I’ve always wanted to try skydiving.”
Edna’s eyes widened. “Skydiving? Bert, the last time you bent down to tie your shoe, you fainted for three minutes.”
He shrugged. “Just make sure if I fall midair, I land in the neighbor’s garden. Always wanted to haunt him anyway.”
Edna’s Turn
“Fine,” Edna laughed, “you do your skydive. I’ll do mine.”
Bert narrowed his eyes. “And what is your big bucket list dream?”
Edna’s eyes sparkled with mischief — the same sparkle Bert remembered from 1965 when she “accidentally” dropped his bowling trophy out the car window during an argument.
“Bert,” she began slowly, “I have a confession.”
Recliners, Remotes, and Christmas Movies
“You know how your favorite recliner leaned to the left for twenty years?”
Bert nodded. “Yes… I blamed the dog. Poor thing limped for weeks.”
Edna grinned. “That was me. After you spilled grape soda on my new curtains in 1989, I jammed a spatula in the bottom.”
Bert gasped. “You’re a monster!”
“And remember how the TV remote kept switching to the Hallmark Channel no matter what button you pressed?”
“You told me it was haunted!”
She smiled. “Nope. I taped a penny inside the battery compartment. Five straight years of slow-motion snowball fights and mistletoe love stories. My sweetest revenge.”
Bert’s Own Secret
Bert leaned back with a sly smile. “Edna, I have a confession too. Remember my Saturday ‘fishing trips’ for ten years?”
Edna gave him a look. “You don’t fish.”
“Exactly,” he said proudly. “I was at the bowling alley. Won four trophies. They’re hidden behind the water heater.”
Edna’s jaw dropped. “You mean I tossed a fake trophy out the car window?”
They both burst into laughter.
A New Chapter of Fun
Not long after, Bert actually went skydiving, Edna bought him a brand-new recliner, and every Saturday, they now bowl together — mostly to keep an eye on each other.
The Final Laugh — in the Afterlife
After nearly 60 years of marriage, Bert and Edna passed away together and found themselves at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter greeted them warmly and gave them a tour of their heavenly home — complete with a gourmet kitchen, a bubbling hot tub, a huge bedroom, and even a pool table.
Bert’s jaw dropped. “What’s the price tag on all this?”
“It’s heaven,” St. Peter laughed. “Everything is free.”
They were then taken to a championship golf course that changed daily to resemble the world’s best greens. Again — free.
Finally, they visited a five-star restaurant with an endless buffet: prime rib, lobster, fine desserts.
Bert eyed the spread cautiously. “Any low-fat, low-cholesterol options?”
St. Peter grinned. “You can eat anything here. No sickness, no weight gain.”
Bert’s Outburst
Bert’s face turned red. He pointed at Edna and shouted, “This is all your fault! If it weren’t for your paleo chicken and bran muffins, we could have been here years ago!”
Edna just sipped her tea — the same way she always had when Bert got worked up — and laughed.
Because after all those years, they both knew the secret to their happiness:
a little love, a little mischief, and always sharing the punchline together.
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