DECEMBER 20TH

Sunday, December 20, 2009

When Joedy and I talked today, I asked him if he had "anything to tell me." I was thinking along the lines of a plane ticket to go get the dogs, a job or a place to live in Austin, or--heck--the title of the book he was reading this morning on the commode. When he replied that he did have something to tell me, I shushed Lula and pressed the phone closer to my ear: he knows I've always wanted a horse, and Christmas is right around the corner--could it BE???

"What's the date today?" he asked, and I was vaguely annoyed. Could we get to the heart of the matter, please? Was the horse coming via Fedex or parcel post? "Um, I think it's the 19th," I said, not really caring. "Actually, it's the 20th," he said.

Then why did you ask me? Do I need to buy a saddle, or is this a package deal? I hope you got me a pretty one!

"Happy anniversary," he said.

Oh. Oh right--that. "Happy anniversary to you too!" I said, glad it was he who remembered and me who forgot, because if it was the other way around, I'd think he didn't love me anymore.

"How many years is it now?" I asked. "Six, seven, something like that?"

"Nine. We've been married nine years."

"Holy shit! Really?! That's long!"

It's true, it is long, and lots of stuff happened in that time: we had kids, moved, got pets, changed jobs, changed hairstyles, changed in general. There's been a lot of change, in fact, but one thing that hasn't changed is the fact that often, I can look at Joedy and tell what he's thinking. That's a fun and practical trick, especially when I want junk food but don't want to be the instigator.

"Hey," I say, "you look like you want a triple jalapeno bacon cheeseburger, chili cheese con carne fries, and a chocolate shake!"

He looks at me sheepishly. "How'd you guess?"

"I can read your mind, Joedy--don't you know that yet?"

It's true, a lot of the time I can, just like he can read mine. Sometimes the things he guesses right about me are embarrassing, but after all this time together that doesn't matter much. In the end, it's most comforting just to be known--to be known and to be loved, despite my childish horse dreams, my sneaky junk food tactics, and the fact that, well, I don't always thank him for being the sweet, loving husband he is.

No comments:

Post a Comment