They were newly married and sitting up in bed one evening.
She being a young bride and learning the ropes said to her newly minted
husband: “Do you love me?” He looking her in the eyes began a poetic diatribe
on why he loved her and how much he loved her and for the duration of his life
he would love her. He in turn asked her the same question, and of course she
said; “I will always love you.”
After 45 years of marriage, once again they sat up in bed
one evening and she asked him the same question: “Do you love me like you did
45 years ago?” He looking at his newspaper answered: “It’s my job. Why? Do you
still love me after 45 years?” She turned over and closed her eyes to go to
sleep and said: “Well, I must, I’ve been living with you for all these years.”
And so we enjoin each other in those early days to live
together happily ever after and don’t think about it. We become comfortable,
like old shoes: worn and ragged but loved, silently without discourse with each
other or anyone else.
After many years, Dad would send Mom a birthday card and/or
anniversary card and sign it: ‘From Tony’ and I would happen to see it and
laugh my fool head off. Dad wasn’t a poet except when it came to swearing in
Italian, when the words flowed magically and without pause, causing Mom to
squint and me to double over in laughter. Somehow after his verbal
dissertation, he would look at me laughing and a smile would cross his face.
Nowadays, when I go into my verbal allowance of bad words, (something I would
have never done in our early days of marriage), I get admonished by TLW (The
Little Woman) and asked to watch my language.
As I learned to swear from dear old Dad, so did my #1 Son
learn to swear from me. Unfortunately he picked the wrong place to demonstrate his
acumen for it: a church!
 |
| His diction was perfect! |
One Sunday, as I sat there with TLW my daughter and #1 Son,
being bored to tears from the usual sermons, #1 decided to ‘express’ himself. The
2-year old makes a statement: “Bitch”. It comes bursting out of his mouth loud
and clear. A sudden fear overcomes me, as I look on in horror at what he said. “Bitch”
he says it again, “Bitch” I’m really squirming now, with my hand on his mouth
and with a side-glance to TLW and I know my life may be over. SHE is giving me
the evil eye, and I know why.
We leave the church and go to the car, where I pop #1 Son in his
car seat and think about walking home, but realize she won’t hit me while I’m
driving with the kids in the car.
Fast-forward to today, and although I still laugh when I
think about it, TLW doesn’t. Well, I guess she must still love me, I’ve been
living with her for all these years!
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