I still remember our first official date. We went to the Café
Coffee Day very close to where I was staying at that time. The one thing I
remember very vividly was when we decided to leave from there, he summoned the
waiter and asked for “bill”. This request was accompanied by a gesture of two
hands – I still don’t know what it exactly meant, but it appeared to be
outlining an open book horizontally. Needless to say, this gesture was absolutely
unnecessary and completely out of the place. We still laugh over this incident whenever
we think of that meeting.
After this meeting, we started going out quite frequently. I
could instantly make out some of his habits that I strongly disapproved of –
for starters, he always used to show up late for our rendezvous. And mind you, one
of the things that I hate doing is to wait. He loved eating at restaurants and
trying out different cuisines. I was and still am, very happy if I could get a
hot homemade meal to devour. He used to splurge on shopping and loved every
moment of it. I could never get everything on my shopping list without help,
not because I was very particular, but because I lacked the patience to search
for things I needed. An entire day spent on shopping still gives me headaches. So
as you can understand, we were not exactly “made for each other” material.
In spite of these stark differences in our personality, I
knew I had found the “one”. He is very practical and level-headed, his views on
life and everything else were very insightful for me. He brought a new
dimension of perspective in my life. He made me rethink my priorities in life.
He encouraged me to pursue my career more aggressively. To this day, his
support and influence has been a huge role in my professional life. I couldn’t
have been where I am today without him, truly. I remember reading this incredibly
valuable advice from Indra Nooyi when I was a child – “Always pick the right
husband”. Although I was too young to appreciate the profundity of this advice,
it stuck with me. And when I met him, I knew I had found my right husband!
It has been four years of our marriage now. I still wonder
how I could manage such an incredibly attractive and amazingly wise life-partner. He has the patience to handle me every day. I am truly a mess when I am
distressed but my husband knows just how to calm me down. He is patient enough
to sit with me when I make him see the same shows of Feluda, Miss Marple,
Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes over and over again because I never grow tired
of them, in fact I believe that he now likes them. Our relationship had its
usual share of highs and lows, I relocated to US for my work and it was almost
a year before he joined me here. It was a trying situation for a couple and I
am not exactly the person who fares well under stress. Again, my husband held
his ground and we sailed through. He deserves a lot of credit for us being what
we are today.
He is my best friend, worst critic, philosopher and guide.
When he is around, I know I can take on the world. While I am yet to figure out
many things in life yet, I know for certain that I want to be with him always.
Many more years of living together happily, husband! +Abhishek
