So who received a dozen roses yesterday? Chocolates? Some fancy jewelry? I know a lot of people shell out good money on Valentine's Day to make their significant others feel special. Men especially are on the receiving end of the pressure that comes with this commercial phenomenon to be creative and dripping with sappiness at least for a day. Heck, we expect our men to turn into Shakespeare overnight and sweep us off our feet with not too original sweet-nothings!
The husband has been working his butt off night and day to give our family a comfortable life. I swear sometimes I think they turn him into a human punching bag at work. By the time he gets home, he's been drained of energy to the bone. However, we have laid out our goals since the beginning of this marriage and he's determined to make them happen. I couldn't be more thankful for having a partner like that.
So on Valentines Day, I thought it would be nice to turn the tables around. Instead of Valentine's being - ahem - about me, I decided to spoil him for a little bit yesterday with the help of a couple of his coworkers. I decided to cater to the husband's weakness by showing up at his office, unannounced, with a platter of cheesecake and a card that says he's been given a one-day pass to indulge his sweet tooth. I did stipulate that he was limited to two slices of cheesecake.
One of his officemates, Ms. M, had told him they were going to lunch together, but that she had to go to the bank first. In reality, she had to rush outside the building to meet me, help me get cleared with security and escort me inside. The husband was inside another coworker's cubicle when I came in and so he didn't see me right away. When he finally turned to leave (by then quite a handful of people had already gathered around to watch his reaction), the husband, whose back was turned to me that time, spotted M and asked, "You ready?" I thought that was the perfect moment and I cut in with, "Are you ready?" The look on his face after making a quick about-face was simply priceless. Later that night he told me he was so suprised he didn't know how to act. Haha! He said he was very proud of me, and two dozens of red roses couldn't beat that. Anyway, we had lunch together, joined by my co-conspirators who gave me quite an extensive report on how the husband has been sneaking in a doughnut here and a Twix candy bar there in his diet. Before I left, I confiscated a bag of cookies from his office.
Two more surprises were waiting for him at home. One was a new set of clothes and the other was a massaging bed lounger. (I will be posting pictures of it soon.) He calls it his semi La-Z-Boy and it does work - he fell asleep in it in the middle of a phone conference last night. In short, he was a happily, pampered man.
I would like to make special mention of my stepson's role in the surprises we pulled yesterday. We braved the chilly wind and we were both rained out the day we went to get the cheesecake. Also, he made sure his dad wouldn't walk straight to the bedroom upon coming home from work, ruining the "drama effect" we had planned in unveiling the lounger.
What was the husband's Valentine's Day gift for me, you ask? Dinner Saturday night. I can't wait! Also, he picked a very meaningful card on the 14th and now there's a talking stuffed toy puppy sitting in the living room.