Verdade

I knew Husbandly One for quite a while before I considered him to be Husbandly One Material. I really liked him, but that was pretty much where it ended.

If you have read my previous blog, you know what happened next. If you haven't, here's the short version: eventually a day came when he kissed me, and my world changed forever.

And I remember that two weeks later, he sent me a quick email and ended with two simple words. "Love you."

I reacted to those shocking words IMMEDIATELY. "Please don't use Those Words cheaply. I know you were just being cute, but Someday, you might Really Mean Them....wouldn't you rather that those words actually mean something?"

He just looked at me, patiently.


Not so very many weeks later, on a blustery winter night, he drove me the 500 feet from my office to where my car was parked, so that I wouldn't have to walk it. It was out of his way, but he couldn't bear the idea of me walking along the sidewalk, huddled in my coat, to my cold car. In his car, we had a meaningless discussion about (who cares) and I turned to him, out of the blue, and said, "Say it again."

"Say what again?"

"Say IT again."

He hesitated, I had humiliated him before. "What do you want me to tell you, that I love you?" Defensive, sarcastic.

I took a deep breath and whispered my heart to him.

I can still hear his sigh to this day, still see the stress I never knew existed leave him in one exhale. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before he was able to look at me again.

And that's how I knew.