article in readers digest

‘It’s Rs. 15...do you still want me to buy it.’ He screamed from across the road, the florist, the bikers and lovelorn people looked turned and looked at him. One good Samaritan on a bike saw my face (fuming and furious), indicated to my husband to buy it, grudgingly he bought it and handed it to me. The poor rose survived my glares but my hubby sure had a tough time digesting the meal I gave him on our first valentine.
As days of our marriage passed, the girly dream of getting a cocktail of “Tom Cruise mixed with SRK” dimmed. I wondered what my parents had thought before getting me married to this heartless six-footer. No chocolates, no cards not even a candle light dinner happened in the first six months of marriage. I made tea for him every morning and he gulped it down with a fixed smile and fixed words – ‘Thank you, it’s good’. A firm peck on the cheek and I was left alone to twiddle my thumbs all day.
The only solace I had was chatting with some friends, once while chatting I was informed by a common friend that the only thing my hubby hated was tea! Then why didn’t he tell me for six months? My mind started working, is he all that tough? My hopes rose as he got me tickets of an SRK film, I remembered telling him that I always see the first show. The point was that he remembered!
I wore new glasses to see my hubby now, to notice his subtle ways, he always sat on the side where there was more sun, he always waited till I had started my meal, gave me his glass of water as he knows I drink less water, being a cleanliness maniac he never said a word against my untidy ways instead he cleaned my cupboard that was like a volcano that erupted every time you opened it!
Valentine day was the day when the doctor confirmed that we are going to be parents. I may remind him of all the pregnancy pains and what it is to carry a child but he has never reminded me that he donated blood to me or that he spent sleepless nights when I was operated or that he was more alert and gave me my medicines before the nurses in the hospital could come.
Years have passed and we grew together. I have got so used to his gentle ways that I take them for granted, today thirteen years have passed since I first saw him, then I had just seen him but I know him now. The wisdom of my parents also dawned upon me, as to why they had chosen this ‘heartless’ six footer for me, whom I have yet to see angry with anybody - the car cleaner, subordinates, house workers...! Today our four year old son said, ‘I like Mamma, she loves me, kisses me, Papa never does.’ I realized that it’s his turn now to realize slowly what a wonderful father he has.
It’s strange why one always sees the loud and ignores the gentle and quiet things in life, why we love to read the bad things and find the good uninteresting to read. True to human nature I also would have ignored the birds that visit us every morning, the warmth of the early morning sun, the fun in closing your eyes when the wind is blowing...but for my dear husband who has tamed his shrew without his knowledge!
Happy Valentine’s Day Parikshet, I promise and want a promise that in this life and all the lives to come we will be together.
Neha Srivastava
9871039394