Mary stood at the checkout with her groceries in front of her. Three bananas, a loaf of bread, a can of beans, and a block of cheese. A total of 11.75. She pulled her coin purse out from her bag and counted out the change. The lady behind the counter looked annoyed. Annoyed at all the coins. But that was all Mary had. She worked minimum wage at a coffee shop. She didn’t make much. Her husband, Rick, had lost his job a year ago, they lived in an apartment that was practically a dump. Five dollar bill, two toonies, two loonies, two quarters, two dimes, and one nickel. That should be 11.75, right? Mary handed the coins and bill over the counter, the lady kindly accepting them. Mary packed up her groceries into her purse. It was full and the zipper was about to break but she wasn’t going to pay five cents for a plastic bag. Mary walked out of the shopping centre to the bus stop. She handed the driver her return tickets, a total of five dollars. Total spendings of the day: 16.75. That was more than what she made in one hour of work. The rest would go to utility expenses. Finally the bus arrived at her stop. Mary was taken aback by the sight she saw in her driveway. “Isn’t it a beauty?” Rick asked, running his hand along a brand new sports car. “Rick,” Mary exclaimed. “We don’t have money for that thing! You have to take it back.” “C’mon, honey. Let’s go for a ride.” “No, Rick. Take it back this second. I’m going to go make dinner.” Rick did not take it back, instead he followed Mary inside. Mary started to unload the groceries from her stuffed purse and then put the beans in a pot on the stove. Dinner. She was going to ignore Rick as long as possiblr until he told her what was really going on. Then she turned around and saw the tickets on the table. Plane tickets. To Australia. It had been their dream to go ever since they had gotten marries ten years ago. But there was never enough money. “Rick, dear,” Mary said calmly. “What is this?” “A surprise, honey.” “Rick, we can’t afford this. I appreciate what you’re trying to do but-,” Rick cut her off. “But we can. It was a surprise for you. For our tenth anniverary. I won the lottery last year but was waiting for the perfect time to tell you.” Mary dropped the wooden spoon from her hand. She loved him for this but he had also held back on the truth for a whole year! Making them live paycheck-to-paycheck, living in a mess, and with not enough food. But the wait was worth it. Their dream was about to come true. Mary pulled back tears and went to hug Rick. They were going to Australia!