Seven things I learned from my wife

 

December 2 is a special day.

In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned emperor of France in Paris. Twelve years later, the first savings bank in the US opens (Philadelphia Savings Fund Society).  British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States at the New York City Theatre in 1867. If you want something from the Pinoy history book, well, The Battle of Tirad Pass or the Philippine-American war was happened in 1899.

Some useless trivia? December 2 is the date when a human birth was first shown on TV (1952); Ringo Starr's tonsils were removed (1964); Barbara Striesand's "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" hits #1 (1978) and the first time there were a dozen people in space.

Personally, it’s one of the most important dates in my life. Not only because it’s Britney Spears birthday but it’s the day when Leah and I tied the knot on 2006. Yup, it’s quite a journey and we can proudly say that we have survived what many consider as the seven–year itch.

I don’t intend to cover  in this post the years that Leah and I have gone through together because I can’t. I’ll need a lifetime to retell all the wonderful things and even the trials that we have shared through the years. What I can write now are a few things that I find more memorable since I learned them from my wife.

1.    You don’t peel ampalaya or bitter melon. On our first week as a married couple, I tried to prove to Leah that I also eat ampalaya. I told her that I cook the best bitter melon with scrambled eggs dish ever. She did like it alright. She like it that she could not stop laughing at the sight of peeled ampalaya for breakfast.

2.    You don’t use a knife while getting stuff the freezer. On our first month, I told my wife that I want to maximize the use of our fridge. Instead of buying 5-peso ice cubes from our next door store, I’ll make use of ice bags to save some coins. It just happened that one ice bag was a little sticky that I need to use a knife to take it off. I heard her said not to use a pointed object but it’s too late, I hit the Freon tube in my first try and the next day we got billed P3,500 for service and Freon refill.

3.    Britney Spears, Cristina Aguillera and Mandy Moore rocks! Before I met Leah, I thought music was all about The Beatles, Eraserheads, Robbie Williams, The Wuds, or any guy who can rock the stage. We had only a portable CD player in our house before and we share most of the time. She use it from morning to evening and I get to hold it a few minutes before I fall as sleep. The result: I was converted into a Britney’s slave after just three weeks of listening to her songs at home.

4.    Wearing pink will not make you a lesser man. When I was still single, my cabinet used to contain only two things: black shirts and others. I am very comfortable wearing dark colored tops because they’re basically wash and wear. People will not notice if you’re armpits are heavily perspiring in it. When my wife and I found out that our first baby was a girl, her first decision was to paint our room pink. Do you expect me to argue with my pregnant wife? In the same year, she bought me a pink polo shirt. From then on, I was embracing this fashion called “The Pink and Black Attack.”

5.    I can be strong on a dark day. My first experience as a father only lasted for almost 12 hours. Our baby Monique was not able to survive after my wife underwent an emergency procedure. I was there for my daughter from the very moment she was put in an incubator up to the moments of her last breath. I was emotionally and physically tired since I never expected that after two weeks in the hospital, my wife will have an unfortunate delivery. I postponed the pouring of my tears because if there is someone who’s hurting the most, it’s my wife. I wore a brave face every time I talked to her and would whisper to her “Everything will be okay” with a heavy heart. After two years, we got our prayers answer with our second child bringing new a life to our relationship.

6.    Anyone can be a father but it takes someone special to be a dad. I am so glad I have Leah as my wife to raise a wonderful blessing we call Charles. We agreed that we will impose a “no spanking” policy at home no matter and whatever Charles does. We discipline him with words and make him realize what will happen if he will do things that are nice.  I would like to believe that fatherhood made me more patient, understanding and somewhat special.

7.  Married life is beautiful. I’ve always see life as a wonderful gift. I have loved, failed, took a risk again and won the heart of the most amazing person I’ve ever known.  I can’t imagine life without Leah. She is my best friend, shopping companion, dining table seatmate, roommate and  partner for life, or should I say my life.

Thank you for coming to my life, my dearest Leah. Thanks for all the learning and I hope to be a better person that you truly deserved in the years to come.  Here's a line from one of your favorite Britney Spears song: "All I really want is to hold you tight Treat you right, be with you day and night. All I really want is to hold you tight, be with you day and night."