A boy meets girl. They fall in love. Get into some drama.
Got over the drama and lives happily ever after. Well that pretty much sums up
on how a relationship usually works. But if we were to tell our story in that
way, then all the romantic comedies won’t be able to rack in millions of
dollars and our favourite actors like Ryan Reynolds, Gareth Butler, Kate Hudson
etc will be out of jobs. Kinda suck right?
I’m not exactly a hopeless romantic but once in a while I do
like to treat myself to some romance. Be it a book or a movie, at the end of it
I would like to experience the “awwwwwww” moment.
My story may not be as romantic as the Titanic but it’s
still pretty sweet. It’s the story of how I met the love of my life.
I grew up in a pretty normal old-fashioned family. My dad
was the sole breadwinner and my mom was the traditional housewife. Like any
other girl, I was exposed to Disney Princesses and fairy tales and thus
influence my choice of men. Don’t get the wrong idea. I’d never really had a
list of criteria but I remember clearly that I told myself that the man I’m
gonna marry must be well-liked by my dad and must be fluent in English. Even
though the list wasn't long, the first criteria were really hard to fulfil.
I went to an all-girls school during my primary years and
hence my interaction with the opposite side was pretty limited. When I turned
13 my parents transferred me to a mixed school. Needless to say, I was pretty
awkward and shy around boys. Sure I had a few crushes here and there but I
would never have the gut to confront the guy and tell him how I feel- that was
until my best friend dared me. One thing you gotta know about me is I that
hardly turn down any challenges.
So with my heart beating wildly in my chest, I made my way
to the next door class. I saw him goofing around with his mates outside his
class and once he spotted me, he stopped whatever he was doing and he just
stood there. Waiting. As if he knew what was coming. With my scarlet flushed
face and shaky barely audible voice I told him that I thought he was cute, and
then I ran off without waiting for a reply. I was embarrassed beyond words as
that was the first conversation I had with him and I was pretty sure he had no
idea who I was (I was right).
Imagine my surprise when he greeted me a few hours later through
a window (I was assigned to sit near a window in my class) and told me he
thought I was cute too. That was the first admission I got from a boy and it
made me feel delirious with happiness. Through a mutual friend whom happened to
be my best friend, he expressed his interest in making me his girlfriend. And I
agreed. If I’m not mistaken that happened on a Wednesday or Thursday. By
Tuesday I was single again.
Yea I know what you’re thinking. That must be the shortest
puppy love ever existed in a 13 year old life. Well, I’m not going to go into
details but I was betrayed by a friend who I thought I wouldn’t hesitate to lay
my life for. She went behind my back and told my new boyfriend that she liked
him too. And together they managed to deceive me for a few days before he
finally found his balls to come clean and break it off with me. Although I
still stayed friends with her for a few years to come, our friendship hadn’t
been the same. I was really hurt by the betrayal on her part as she was the
only friend I’d ever trusted. As for the guy- I supposed who could blame him.
He just entered puberty and had two girls liking him. It’s only natural for a
boy his age to act like an idiot.
And uhh he changed school soon after. Thank god!
I had a few flings and boyfriends after that, but none of
them are worth mentioning.
When I was 15, my dear aunt whom I loved and adored was
going through a bitter divorce. One day when she was feeling down about her
situation she gave me the best advice any 15 year old should consider. She said
that it’s never too early to pray for a good husband. Of course it might sound
ridiculous to pray for a husband at 15, but for some reason I did it anyway.
If someone told me that I would meet my life partner when
I’m 16, I would tell them to take a hike. But that’s exactly what happened.
Never in my life would I have imagined that my first
boyfriend who was a real jerk would turn out to be my greatest love ever.
Despite our falling out when we were 13, my so called best
friend and I are still friends even though it always feels as though we have
this invisible barrier between us that hold us back from trusting one another
again. Anyway as fate would have it, she played a significant role in my happy
ending.
It was her 16th birthday and she was having a
small gathering at her house. If memory serves me right, it was on the 11th
June 2003. She seemed happy but was constantly distracted by phone calls and
texts. When we asked her about it, she said that she invited a boy to a party and
she wasn’t sure whether he was coming. She later revealed the identity of the
mysterious boy. Yup just like in any predictable romantic movie, the boy in
question is the protagonist in my story. But he was a no show. She was
disappointed and I was actually relief. (I found out later that the reason he
didn’t go is because he didn’t want anyone to misunderstand their relationship)
That night I got a text message from an unknown number. It
was from him. That was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Even after
all these years, the best memories that hold dear in my heart have always been
the courtship in the early stages of the relationship. We were young and naïve.
We didn’t judge one another based on our income, the kinda car that we drive,
the house that we live or who do we know. It was just about him and me. Nothing
else. I always think that it’s the purest love that I’ve known (family aside of
course).
Every time I think of all the silly things that we did, it
always put a smile on my face. All the mid-night phone calls, the stupid jokes
we’d forwarded to each other, all the “first-time” experience we shared together i.e. first date, first kiss, first
prom, etc.
Coming into adulthood, we were fortunate enough to study in
the same university, doing the same course together. But it wasn’t easy. We
went through hell and back for it.
I did really well in my SPM and was awarded an opportunity
to study abroad for 3 years. I knew it meant the world to my dear old dad but
somehow it just wasn’t for me. The course offered was something I had no
interest in doing. I had other plans in mind. Him being the perfect guy he is,
got me a scholarship in one of the most prestigious private university in the
country. I was thrilled. However I was torn between following what I want and
what my dear daddy wanted for me.
When I told my dad of the amazing opportunity that my beau
got for me, he wasn’t pleased. We fought, he shouted and I cried. But the worst
thing that my dad did to me was to simply ignore me. For 3 months. It was the darkest period of my life. Even
remembering it still makes me sad. In the end I decided to follow my gut
instinct. I was really grateful my dad didn’t cut me off. A lot of people think
the reason I turned down the once in a life time opportunity was because of my
relationship. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. I wanted to stay
because I feel it would do me a lot more good than bad. But eventually my dad
and I rekindle our relationship and he couldn’t be prouder of his little girl.
Throughout that horrific drama in my life, my beau stayed
with me. He was my sole supporter and I am forever grateful for that.
In 2008, we both decided to do our final year in United
Kingdom. I was simply ecstatic. Being in a foreign country, having no one to
rely on except for each other, our bond became stronger than ever. There are a
lot of fond memories that we shares in this other chapter of our life. But it’s
always the simplest thing that stays with me like our mid-night kebab run,
evening walks by the riverside, morning car boot sales, groceries shopping and
our once in a week eating out occasion. These are the things that money can’t
buy.
In 2011, we ended our “single” status and upgrade it to “married”
status when he proposed on the 11th July 2013, the World Cup where
Paul the Octopus predicted that Spain would win the final. But Paul wasn’t the
only one who was good at predicting. On that fateful day, he seemed nervous and
a bit guarded and somehow a bit picky about what I was wearing. The whole thing
smells fishy from the start and plus based on the birthday “surprise”
celebration he once threw for me, I knew something was up. He could never hide
his emotion from me. And I knew he knew that I knew.
He took me to Menara Mustapha in Sabah and showed me the
most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. We had some refreshment before the
waiter led us to a secluded part of the restaurant. I was starting to enjoy the
ambience and food when he suddenly called the waiter and ask him to play a more
romantic song. To those who knew him would know that this behaviour is totally bizarre.
The whole thing was even funnier when
the waiter came to take our photo, using the restaurant’s camera.
One thing that I did not expect was that I would burst into
tears when he finally got down on his knee and proposed despite my expectation.
Honestly I did not hear a word he said while he was on his knee except for , “will
you be my wife?” because I was busy crying and looking at the ring. Trying to
measure the diamond.
We got married almost a year later in a traditional wedding.
It was a gorgeous event (I bet all bride would say the same thing). It was our
8th year together.
Well now, here we are two years later, a day shy of our 10
year anniversary, with me trying to write a meaningful blog entry to present to
him during our mini honeymoon.
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| 11.07.2010 |
I love you so much and here’s to another 10 years and more
<3 <3
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| Our first winter in UK |
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| He's a hard core Man U supporter |
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| Our first snow fight |
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| Gorgeous sunset on the day he proposed |
