My wife and I just had our 22nd anniversary. Twenty two years!! That's a long time. So why doesn't it seem that long to me? I still remember, very vividly, the day my wife accepted my proposal and agreed to marry me. I was in a daze for a few days after that, finding it hard to believe that she said "yes". My friends in Med school kept reassuring me, that although they were as confused as me as to why she said "yes", the response indeed had been positive. After a couple of days, just to make sure, I asked her again. And she said "yes" again! For a moment, a teeny-tiny doubt crept up in me. Maybe she was not as smart as I thought her to be, because she said "yes" to me... not once, but twice... in about as many days! But that was the first and last time I doubted her.
Well, then we got married. After that, it hasn't been easy to elicit a "yes" from her for anything. But it has been a wonderful journey. And the best, I believe, is yet to come. My heart still does a somersault every time I see her, and for a good reason-- she gets prettier & more elegant every day! Now enough sucking up, as my dear friends would say!
I've learnt a lot from her over the years. Patience, tolerance, exuberance, selflessness, straight talk..... and also, colors. Colors? You all know how men are with colors. Before I met her, I always thought Turquoise was a certain species in the Tortoise family, and Lavender was something edible like Coriander! And the concept of time in a woman's mind is amazing. When I'm waiting for her to get ready if we are going out somewhere, her answer-- "I've been telling you for the last half-an-hour that I'll be ready in 5 minutes" makes complete sense to me now. Time stands still for ladies when they are in front of the mirror, before heading out for the evening.
Over this expanse of time, life has treated us well for the most part. We've been scared on occasion, hurt on others, seen some tough times..... From her, I've learnt that no matter what the circumstances, with each other & 2 wonderful children, a caring family and some true friends, we are and always will be, wealthy beyond imagination.
I play lotto sometimes, but never with hope of winning the jackpot. Because you can win the jackpot only once in a lifetime, and I won mine 22 years ago.
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