My Husband’s (Other) Valentine

Sid and I don’t really celebrate this day. He teases me about getting me flowers or surprising me with jewelry. But he wouldn’t dare! So this Valentine’s Day, being a Thursday, was treated as any other Thursday. Since my husband is a consultant, he travels Monday to Thursday; so on Thursdays, we usually go out to dinner. It’s usually Thai food at a simple-yet-cozy restaurant behind our house. Yesterday, we decided to change it up a bit and went to an Asian fusion place, which is a wee bit fancier (you know, $2 per dish fancier). But hey, he came straight from the airport in his boring corporate attire, and I went unshowered after Yoga. So it doesn’t count as a celebration.

After we ate dinner, we stopped by our neighborhood cafe. He asked me if I wanted anything, but I declined. He bought a really nice pastry to go. As he paid, he said, “This is for Anna.” I was, frankly, quite surprised. We have known Anna for around 1.5 years. She is quiet and inconspicuous. She wears unflattering pants most days and has extremely short hair that doesn’t do much for her, except make her look somewhat older than she is. But her small eyes twinkle when she smiles. And she always has a “hello” for us. She is also non-judgmental. I am pretty sure she has heard us arguing a couple of times, but she’d never show that she knows.

The cutest part was how awkwardly he presented her the cake and said, “Here’s some dessert for you,” and walked off quickly. My guess is he was shy of meeting her eyes. He’s uncomfortable showing his emotions to others. So I said, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Anna.” She smiled broadly and her eyes twinkled.

For the last 1.5 years, she has been a part of our lives. You see, Anna is the receptionist at our building and takes the evening shift, from 3PM-11PM everyday. When she’s on leave, we miss her. I always stop for a quick chat, but other than that, I don’t give her a real thought honestly. I am glad my husband did.

You know the moment that you look at your spouse and feel your heart swell with love and pride all over again? It happened to me on Valentine’s Day 2013 when my husband bought a piece of cake for another woman.

Tagged: cake, Consultant, Corporate, dessert, Holiday, home, husband, Marriage, Opinions, Relationships, spreading cheer, stranger, Thursday, Valentine, Valentine Day, wife

Posted in: spreading cheer