Life is good.
This thought resonates in your head as you lie in bed, under layers of cover, staring at the woman of your dreams and your reality standing at the window, taking in the view of the early morning, breathing the clean mountainside air. The sunlight kisses her shoulder, and weaves through her hair like Rumpelstiltskin’s gold. It dances across her face and grazes her bossom on its way into the room.

She's wanted a vacation for years now. You can only watch with a feeling of impotence as she peruses longingly through travel brochures and traces her fingers lustfully over the Alps. You know she deserves a break; she toils everyday through her drudgery of a job. You can see the silver taking root in her hair, and wrinkles making waves on her forehead. Her eyes don't twinkle like they used to, and her smile never lights up the room anymore.

So you took another job. You eeked away money, little by little. You worked overtime and pulled long hours. Sleep was a luxury. It was tough but you'd do anything to make your woman smile. It seemed like a long shot, but you did it. You'll never forget the look on her face when she opened the envelope and found the flight tickets. It was like the sun after an eclipse; it looked like it had never been brighter.

Now, she glances back at you over her shoulder, a nightie strap dangling down. The sun plays in her eyes again, and her smile was in kilowatts. The locks of her hair partially obscures her forehead and you knew you’d never seen a woman more beautiful. Then you ask yourself, Was it worth it all? Was it worth the 16 hour shifts, the pain wracking through your body making your nights unbearable? Was it worth the family heirloom you sold?

She prances back towards you, wiggles under the covers and snuggles into you.

Then you realize, it was worth it all.