Today, September 21, is World Gratitude Day. What are YOU grateful for?
Him. I’m grateful for him. Waking up every morning in his bed, in this giant bed with the high-count Egyptian sheets. Warm coastal waters tinted with the scent of sage roll in from the window. Sure, the bed is comfy, the room is huge, and the view is incredible, but I would sleep in a motel bedroom by an overpass in a crime-infested area as long as we were together. This is love. He loves me. Every time I think about this, my heart feels warm like someone is filling it with water from the kettle. It radiates out until my hands and feet tingle. He really loves me.
I thought after we broke up in college, that was going to the end of my chance to be happy. I knew he was the only one I’d ever be happy with. He was lost however, and drowning in the responsibilities of university. “I am not worthy of you, and I can’t be a good partner for you right now,” he told me, sobbing. “I’m dropping out, going home, and figuring things out.”
I dreaded what that meant. But lo and behold, he got into programming, took local courses, and began to freelance. By the time I walked across the stage for my degree and into an entry-level job, he had made his first million releasing apps.
I watched, fascinated and a bit envious, as my soulmate rose high above me. Forgetting me, surely. But one day, he called me. My number was still the same after all, but his had changed. He called me and said, “I’m deeply apologetic for not calling you sooner. I thought about you every day. I just wanted to be a good partner for you, and worthy of you. Wou- ahem, would you like to come visit me in California?”
He stilled sounded exactly the same – cautious and hopeful. I said yes and got on that plane. The second I saw him at LAX, a smile burst onto my face and tears floated in my eyes. “James,” I choked out, and then he saw me. He ran to me and crushed me in a hug. People aww’ed. When he kissed me, I didn’t stop him, I just cupped his chin and kissed him right back.
From then on, we just picked up where we left off. We never discussed it, because there was no need. I was his, and he was mine, and now our lives could begin.
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Captions are fictional.