Thank you, Habi

It’s three o’clock in the afternoon on a Wednesday and I am nowhere near my workplace, unburdened by work and all the pressure that comes with it – earning money, dealing with difficult colleagues, and just the everyday feat of waking up early and getting by with the humdrum of maintaining a job. Instead, I am sitting on a cozy chair in one of my favorite places with not a single care in the world except the amount of caffeine that my chocolate shake contains.

As I look at the people around me, I wonder if they are as grateful as I am to be here. I wonder if they feel as much profound gratitude as I do for just being here and not anywhere else. Perhaps they do. But as I ponder this, I am feeling quite smug that I am one of the very lucky few who really do have a lot of things to be thankful for.

Thank you, Habi.
Thank you for working extra extra hard so that I can afford to sit on my bum all day and not worry about a thing in the world.

I know that you speak lightly of your difficulties at work but when I look at your tired eyes at the end of the day, I see how hard you try to endure the rigors and grimness of working in a foreign country. I know that no matter how much you enjoy your work, I also know how hard you put up with the stress of working with different people, in every sense of the word.

I know that you speak lightly of your worries of supporting a family but when I look at your concerned eyes when you analyze our bank account, I see that there isn’t a single day that you don’t worry about providing for your family especially now that our little precious is arriving soon. I didn’t tell you but I almost cried when I saw you researching about dog-walking jobs to do on your spare time. How can you even think about dog-walking when your rubber shoes are so old they look like they’re almost decaying (and you’re too self-sacrificing to buy new ones)?

Thank you for all that and more. It has only been a year and a few months since you have ‘pledged your dedication to our family’s welfare’ and you sure have done good on your word.

And while we’re on the subject...
Thank you for making all the appropriate yummy noises when I serve you dinner.
Thank you for not saying anything when you find that you have no ironed shirt to wear.
Thank you for not saying anything when you find that your ‘ironed’ shirts don’t look at all ironed.
Thank you for buying me cakes and chocolates in the middle of the night.
Thank you for offering to buy me the Ikea apple-corer because you knew that it’d make me happy.
Thank you for coming along to every prenatal check-up not because you feel obligated but because you truly want to be with me.
Thank you for putting up with my whining and then saying all the right things to make me feel better. “To everything, there is a season. Remember how happy we were when we were given our gift? The long wait must be terrible on you. But it won’t be long now and we’ll get to hold our bundle of joy. Even though I’m at work, I’m basically alone too. But I find strength in coming home at day’s end...”

Thank you, mahal. It has only been a year and a few months since you have declared your promise of ‘love and fidelity’ and you sure have done good on your word.

If you as a husband is any indication of you as a father, then I truly believe that a lot is in store for Annika and me to be grateful for.