my iris surprise

this afternoon i received an sms from my colleague moo while in the middle of class. i didn't have any new material to teach as the students were having trial oral presentations, so i took a glance at my phone.

the message read: "hehe. directed flower delivery guy to your room! wah! from the hub? wait, did he make you angry?"

for a moment i was taken aback - it's not the hub's practice to send me flowers to the office because he hardly ever buys them. in fact, he'd recently presented me with a bouquet of roses for my birthday, so the quota for 5 years has already been fulfilled.

anyway, i couldn't think of anyone else who'd spring a surprise on me like that so i figured it was definitely him.

after i ended my lesson and reached my cubicle, i found my make-shift curtain (inherited from my previous boss) drawn. i don't do that unless i'm rushing for time and need to carry out my "mumsy's express milk service" in the privacy and comfort of my work station instead of using the meeting room.

i cautiously pulled back the cloth and saw this:

a lovely bouquet of irises and chocolates from chocolat factory! (my new roomie pat had signed for the flowers and chocolates on my behalf. but the delivery man wasn't convinced that i would safely receive the goods so she'd drew the curtains across my cubicle and that appeased him.)

instantly, i knew it was from the hub even before i read the card.

8 august 1996 was the "official" date of our engagement. we'd bought matching rings and engraved the date on the rings which we wore till our official wedding in 1999. but we'd stopped celebrating the day after we got married, so i wasn't expecting anything from the hub. i was very overwhelmed and my heart skipped a beat as i felt a lump of emotion stuck in my throat.

it really was a wonderful, sweet moment to savour. and it was great to feel appreciated.

however, it WAS a huge bouquet and taking the public transport with the flowers, chocolates and my bulky milk-storage coleman wasn't exactly a very convenient option. i called the hub to thank him for the lovely gifts and asked if he could swing by the office to pick me up. being the practical man that he is, the hub agreed but mentioned that he'd leave his office later when the traffic's less heavy.

i didn't mind staying back to finish up some of my marking and proceeded to wield my red pen furiously, attacking the scripts with ticks and crosses.

when the hub finally arrived, i was treated to another surprise: he'd bought me 15 pieces of salmon belly sashimi to celebrate the 12 years we'd pledged ourselves to each other. (12 supposedly for me and 3 for himself!)

12 years ago, i would never have expected all this from a geeky guy who didn't own a romantic bone in his body. in the earlier years, i was the one planning most of the surprises. but i'll readily admit defeat now because he's outdone me in this aspect.

the hub's now afraid that he's raised the bar too high: each surprise becomes a tougher act to follow.

not that he's got anything to worry about since i'm not the demanding sort and am easily contented. chocolates always work! besides, it's the thought that counts.

and i do realise i'm extremely fortunate to have a husband who appreciates and loves me, and treasures our marriage. ultimately, i think that's what most women want.