Mr Anniversary Gift

Guess what I got for my 10th wedding anniversary recently? A romantic getaway at the Datai or a Trinity ring from Cartier? 

Neither. 

All I got was this remark: “Wah, we’ve been married for so long, ah?” 

Was I disappointed? Yes. Was he thinking, no need to wow the old cow? I hope not. 

But then, all the earlier anniversaries had been equally unspectacular. Given such sad statistics, why did I expect this year to be any different? Perhaps I thought 10 would be the magic number that would set a new trend.  

Or maybe it was just the eternal optimist in me. 

In all fairness, my hubby never declared he was romantic. Ten years ago, when I signed on the dotted line, I was fully aware that my partner in marriage would never go anywhere near a florist or croon love songs. 

Let me elaborate. It was almost Valentine’s Day when we started going out. Naturally, flowers and chocolates were highly anticipated. Imagine the great let-down when romantic stuff was not forthcoming! Uh oh, was the Prince Charming a mere frog?  

I wept buckets over the absence of a bouquet, and the guilty party got the silent treatment.  

Next Valentine’s Day, an adorable teddy bear materialised in my hand. While he should have been applauded for the initiative, I wasn’t thrilled. Why? The cute thing was handed in a pharmacy plastic bag, as he exclaimed casually: “Look what I found when I went to the pharmacy just now!” 

He might as well have said: “I was reaching for some dental floss when I noticed rows and rows of mushy stuff. It suddenly hit me what day it is today! I don’t want to repeat last year’s drama, so here’s your gift!”  

Back to the present. One thing I always get is my mum’s annual congratulatory phone call. It’s like getting an annual reminder of the painful fact, because she would unfailingly ask: “What did you get?”  

Either she’s asking just for the hell of it or optimism is truly in the genes.  

This year my response was: “Oh, the usual – Nothing. Not that I’m complaining. You know I have it all!” 

“Faking to have it all is more like it,” snorted mum, the ultimate lie detector. “Look, if it bothers you, just go and tell him what you want.” 

Hmm, what did I want?

Continue reading this article on The Star Online

Ahhh, how many of us women seem to have married the most unromantic men on the planet?  Although I have to admit - my husband does have his moments - and when he does, it's a genuine surprise --

Perhaps it would be worth recruiting the mothers or sisters of your husbands to remind them of the upcoming anniversaries and perhaps introduce Just Paper Roses - it's such a nice and easy way to keep the romance alive and they don't even have to go to the pharmacy to do it :)