The Old Couple at the Movie Theater

Every Tuesday afternoon, at the 2 p.m. matinee at our small-town movie theater, there's an elderly couple who sit in the same seats in the fifth row. They share a large popcorn and hold hands through the whole movie.

I started noticing them because I go on Tuesdays too, on my day off. They've been there every week for years. They watch everything: action movies, cartoons, romantic comedies. The ticket seller told me they've been coming since the theater reopened in 1989.

Last week, after a romantic comedy, the husband stood up and offered his wife his arm. She took it, and they walked slowly up the aisle together. At the door, he kissed her cheek and said, "Same time next week?" She said, "It's a date."

I sat in my seat for a minute after they left, smiling at an empty theater.