More than 20 years ago, a dorky, awkward teenager met a sweet-looking girl at his orientation. She had her long, bouncy hair tied into a ponytail. Her tan complexion was due to the love of outdoor sports, especially swimming. She smiled a lot, and her laughter was especially contagious.
Their OG was an active one, meeting up regularly for lunches and outings. They both enjoyed the company, and nothing happened at first. But as the group then settled into their regular routine, he realised that he has taken a fancy to her. "She is wife material," he sniggered to himself. Phone conversations became more frequent, and he had a hard time trying to coincidentally bump into her along the corridors.
Over one of those long conversations, he asked to be her boyfriend. She was somewhat cornered, and rather hesitantly, said yes. It was August then. He was overjoyed! Over the moon! You see, unbeknownst to her then, he had 2 things on his mind. Using a sports analogy,
1. He needed to move up to midfield to attack
2. But before he can do that, he needed a solid defence
He had already identified that she will be the proverbial woman behind the proverbial successful man. With her support on the home front, he'll then be able to focus on taking on this world. Something like 男主外女主内.
They enjoyed their "paktor-hood" thoroughly, strolling in parks, going to movies, taking photos, etc. They had their 小情侣 squabbles, of course, but there was never shouting or fighting. Never. They were mostly disagreements, thrashed out civilly. They also learnt to manage each other's expectations. In all, they disagreed for less than 5 times. But he also learnt his lesson. Everytime she cried, it pierced his heart. He vowed never to make her angry, and will love and protect her.
Knowing that he found himself a good catch, dorky teen got worried when NS time came. She was too important to him and cannot afford to lose her. But what if...? She had a hard time reassuring him, but did so ever so patiently. She meant what she said, when twice she waited for him outside his camp. Imagine, a teenage girl outside an army camp! That's simply asking for trouble (meaning, cat calls, whistles, stares)! But she did it. When dorky nerd saw her standing there, he couldn't believe his eyes! He so badly wanted to hug her there and then, but had to restrain himself. He was so, so touched, and loved her even more.
Their love story continued much along the same lines, of surprise gifts, silly jokes, lots of love but even more respect.
Today, they have been together for 20 years, and married for 10. Come next year, there will be a new addition to the small family, one that they have been praying for.
So Happy 20th Anniversary my Princess, for comforting me when I'm sad, for encouraging me when I'm down, for bearing with me when I'm incoherent, for supporting me when I feel weak... most importanly, for being there for me. Of all the wrong things I've done, I am so proud I did one thing right: asking to be your boyfriend 20 years ago.
I love you, dear. May we have many, many more 20-year anniversaries to come. And I want to dedicate this song to you, the song that we liked so much and has grown to represent our relationship.
Image credit here.
Post Date: 31 Aug 09
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