Being supportive of one another, that, is what marriage is all about, isn’t it??? Translated…
That day my husband asked if I had a book club meeting tomorrow? Seeing me nod, he’d handed me $2,000 said, “Here, for your cab fare and some snacks too!”, as I took the bills, I’d said to him inside my mind, “Honey, you’re so very, cute!”, he’d smiled, and not said a word. I have a job too, but, with the kindness shown to me by my husband, it’s a sort of bliss I’d felt, from being cherished and loved by him.
Over two decades ago when we first got wed, every week, I’d had myself a “singles day”, after work, I’d gone out with my best friends to eat and chitter chatter, while my husband rushed home to the household chores, and took care of our young. In the depth of the nights, he’d gone to the bus stop, to welcome home a woman who’s, full of energy.
When I’d had a bad day at work, he’d never acted macho and stated, “Don’t work anymore, I’ll take good care of you!”, instead, “You should keep working, staying at home all the time, you will surely, fall ill.” As I was sorting through the data at my desk, calling up my clients, there would be that gaze of encouragement from behind me. Although we’re the same age, but, he’d silently supported, watched over me, like I was a sapling, growing up.
illustration from the papers online…
This was my husband’s wisdom, and my blessing. My friend, Hsia was so envious of how good we got it. She’d loved line-dancing, but her husband would always use the excuse of “you won’t have the time for the household chores” to stop her from her pursuits, and, every time, Hsia would always finish the chores around her house first, and took her husband to the line dancing class, to show, that there wasn’t a chance that she will be holding hands with another man. But Hsia’s husband still felt displeased, and they’d argued a lot, to the point of getting into physical altercations too, and they’d gone to couple’s counseling, but, right after the sessions, they’d, returned back to their original ways of interacting with one another again.
I’d kept giving encouragements to Hsia through LINE, but once, I’d bumped into her, with her head lowered, and a face mask over her face, she’d looked, so thin then, only showed those pair of scared and lightless eyes. Every family has a different story, I truly hope, that Hsia can soon, walk out of her gloom, and am really glad, that I have a husband, who is happy, seeing me happy.
like this??? Not my picture…
I’d asked myself, if I’d been, as supportive of him as he’d been, of me? And, I was taken back to over ten years ago, he was standing in front of a counter in the shopping malls, looking at a bean grinder, I’m not a coffee drinker, and I’d, hurried him along, and, it took me a long time, to realize, that I should’ve, asked him on that day, if he’d wanted, the coffee bean grinder? But he’d shaken his head no. Was it my carelessness, that’s, killed his joys that he’d kept, locked inside of him?
After being married for these years, although, there is no more passions between us, but, the way we got along with each other became like a good wine, aged better with the time. On the weekends, we’d taken up separate corners of our living room, and reading the books we’d enjoyed, and every now and then, we’d looked up and caught one another’s gaze, he’d nodded toward me, knowingly, and that, was enough for me.
Married as lovers when we were young, growing old, to become, companions in life, I’m grateful, for an amazing husband such as he.
And so, it does, take us all, to our middle age years, to finally look at our separate spouses (1 @ a time), and see their good qualities, like the saying went, and this couple complimented one another, the husband played the supporting role to his wife’s dreams, and pursuits, and she started realizing, that she’d not done the same for him, and after realizing that, she will surely, become even MORE supportive of her husband’s pursuits, no matter what they will be.
Life, the Obstacle Course 