Happy Anniversary, Mint

Dear Mint,

Today we turn one year old together. Not that we weren’t with each other before that. But one year ago, our union was made legal.  We were granted an official certificate by the society that gave us the right to be with each other at all times. Neither of us have cared too much about social acceptance and these official tags. But well, I’ll go ahead and wish you all the same. Happy Anniversary!

There are times when I wonder how the time has flown by. It feels like I had just written this post after completing 6 months of togetherness.  And now it has been a year already! And then other times I feel like we’ve been living with each other for a decade and can’t believe it has only been one year. If I had to describe our time together in one word, I’d say ‘Ecstatic’. Because that is how I think this ride has been. Is it because the newness of our relationship hasn’t worn out? What kind of a couple do you think we will be after ten years? Will we still cuddle so much, hold hands while walking and do other such sloppy, romantic stuff? Or will we be solemn, jaded partners,  who’re living together, exhausted with the burden of responsibility and duties we’re struggling to fulfill in our everyday lives. Life does makes you weary. But whatever the case be, if we keep alive the passion we have for each other, then we will sail through everything.

Someday, after many years, I hope to read this letter with you. To take note of how our first year together has been, to remind us to keep the celebrations going, to give us hope and inspiration when we are in dire need of some.

Living with you has been wonderful. Of course, you have your faults. Some of your traits annoy me enough to make me want to slap you. Especially when you stare at your computer screen while I am talking to you. Or you find some screen to look at and keep check on the score while we’re eating dinner out in some restaurant. It angers me no end. That is a horrible thing to do. You apologise each time and put your focus back on me after I sulk. Your obsession with sports is another thing that gets on my nerves. At least if it were one sport you were interested in, it would be more tolerable. But you want to watch and closely follow every game, whether it is cricket, football, ice hockey or any other goddam thing. And when I start feeling awful and sorry for myself, you chuck it all and come and be with me. Your habit of staying up till late, or until the early hours of morning is another thing that makes me wild. Because for some mysterious reason, I cannot sleep until you do. These annoying traits of yours often make me fume.

And then I realise how small and insignificant they are. When it comes to the bigger things, you put me above everything else. Career, money, other desires, everything. If you are having a chance to make some money by changing your job to one that takes you to a location in which I don’t feel comfortable, you will ditch that opportunity. And most of the times, my emotions are not reasoned. I have no real or compelling cause to feel the way I do. But my happiness and well being is put above everything else. And you let go of everything that comes in its way. Even if it makes you lose out on stuff you desired. It makes me feel awfully guilty for being so eccentric. You are the one who is constantly at the ‘giving’ end, while I happily sit at the ‘receiving’ end. The other day, you let go of a boys night out with your friends, because you did not feel like leaving me alone at night. This is not something you should do often. But right now, I want to thank you for caring so much.

You help me out in every little thing I do. Do you remember how surprised and envious my friends were of me when they found out that you actually iron my hair for me sometimes? I don’t do this often, but sometimes when we’re getting ready for an occasion and I decide to use the hair iron, I  call out to you. Because I am too lazy to do it myself. The image of you using the iron on my hair in concentration, as you part the sections still makes me smile. I know most guys would not do this and would in fact roll their eyes when they see a girl ‘dressing up’.

You truly consider my body to be a part of your own. In the literal sense. If I am about to throw up and don’t have enough time to run to the washroom, you will instantly extend your hand in front of my mouth, so that you can hold the puke and prevent other surfaces from getting dirty. If I have a running nose, you will not hesitate before wiping the snot off with your bare hands if nothing else is available. When my nose stud got stuck, you were the one who put your fingers up inside my nose and finally managed to get it out. These things gross me out and I am not even comfortable doing them for my own self. So I know I would have reservations in treating your body the same way. I admire you for the abilities you have, and for the way you’ve accepted my body as your own.

I know I have a very clingy relationship with my family. But you deal with it all so well. Including my random cries of ‘Mama chahiye’. I’d get so mad if you were to do something like that. You are different from me. You hold me and comfort me. I love sitting on your lap the way I do. Facing you, with my head resting on your shoulder. It is very childish. But it is comforting, and that is all I care about.

I feel happy that you are so sane and rational. Because I am equally insane and eccentric. And very unreasonable at times. Like when I was polishing my nails once, I wasn’t finding it easy to use my left hand to do the nails on the right hand. So I asked you to do it for me. Like always, you agreed instantly. And then I got mad and yelled at you when I thought you weren’t doing it right. Or the other time I threw a fit when we were at a video game centre and you used the last two coins in a game I didn’t want to play. You apologised, were willing to buy me a whole set of new coins, but nothing worked. No amount of consoling. I was on a screaming spree. When I think of these times now, I feel terrible and stupid. But I also feel so grateful for having a person like you by my side. You smile, forgive me and always love me the same way.

We’ve had a fun filled year. We’ve been unbelievably lazy, whimsical, indisciplined and sometimes stupid. We’ve traveled a lot together. That is the best gift you have given me. Traveling is a privilege. It has broadened my horizons. We’ve lived without a care in the world. Going out for ice creams late at night, taking off for a trip on a whim, making a meal out of chips and chocolate, eating in bed while watching movies. We mostly lead a fun, unplanned life. We’re both messy. You should be happy that I am not the typical nagging wife, asking you to maintain order in everything. I am as chaotic and lazy as you are. The house is  mostly untidy. But neither of us seems to mind. We live a happy and fun life in the midst of that chaos. A lot of this is possible because it is only the two of us, living far away from the rest of the family. In the coming years, we might be forced to change our ways and impart some discipline into our lives. We have to grow up and take on more responsibility. But let us not crib too much then. We have have had our fair share of this erratic and careless life.

We have some tough decisions to make sometime soon. Decisions that will carve our future. Choices have always confused us. And I dread to think of the blurred visions, confusion and chaos this will bring to us. But you know what? None of the choices are bad. Every option can be given a positive spin and can work to an advantage. If I fret too much, make me read these lines. All we need to do is hold hands and keep the party going. Life is fun. I love the way we usually hop together on our way to the car. I love the way you dance on the road if I ‘dare you’ to. You have taught me to live without caring about what the world thinks. And I love you for that. And for the warm sunshiny happiness you’ve brought into my life.

— Pepper