I’m in love…

As you may or may not know, Andy’s been quite busy at work lately, doing two jobs instead of one, because he accepted a new role but hasn’t been replaced at the old one yet. This will end in December, but for the past couple of months he’s been very busy and more stressed and tired than usual. He’s also been traveling more, since he has double the meetings with national and global suppliers. At times I have felt like what Twenty Four at Heart calls a Corporate Widow.

Because of this, I honestly was not expecting much for my birthday. Andy warned me long ago, and I was fine with that. He’s been wonderful to me, on birthdays and regular days, so I wanted to be as easygoing as possible for the two months that he needed it most. And of course I’ve been a perfect angel so far! No crying or yelling or anything. Ever. Not once.

…

Anyway, for my birthday, I took the day off to enjoy myself, get some errands done, catch up on TV and housework. I actually felt pretty great just being relaxed. As I was driving home from some Christmas shopping, I thought, MAN, what a beautiful day. I was really happy.

That night when Andy got home from work, he handed me a small bag and said, “Here. It’s not much, but I hope you like it.”

Inside was a round green apple.

“I got you a Mac!” he exclaimed.

Har har.

“No, just kidding. I’ve been too busy to get you a gift, but I did make reservations at the Waterfront.” The Waterfront is a very nice Cincinnati restaurant, established by Jeff Ruby, a very well-known local restaurateur.

So we went and had a lovely evening — he had steak, I had scallops, we shared creme brulee — and then headed home to watch Kung Fu Panda, courtesy of Netflix. I was supremely happy with the evening — and stuffed! — when the valet brought our car around. I climbed in, and Andy went to the trunk.

I thought, “Oh geez, did the valet bump something? What’s wrong?”

Andy reappeared in the driver’s seat. “You’re familiar with the literary technique of foreshadowing, right?”

Me: … Of course.

Andy: Good. This is your real present.

Ladies and gentlemen, he did indeed get me a Mac. A brand new MacBook, just like I’d been obsessing over. I cried when I realized. And not because it was an expensive gift, or THE gift I’d been craving. But because of the gesture, the fact that he’d saved up for this extravagance for me, and worked out a great surprise to give it to me.

I’m in love. Not just with the MacBook. But with a very wonderful man who stops at nothing to make me happy. How did I get so lucky?