“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.” I felt that someone was touching my cheek. I shifted in my sleep. My eyes were too heavy to be opened, so I chose to let them closed.
“Just a minute. I’m sleepy.” I protested. I heard a chuckle, and then someone touched my cheek again.
“I need to go to work. If you don’t wake up now, I’ll be late.” When I recognized the voice, I sighed quietly.
“You go take a shower. I’ll help tying your necktie after that.” He knew I would help him doing it, why he had to wake me up now.
“There’s something more important than that.” He urged. I groaned angrily. When he talked by that tone, I could not argue him anymore. He knew I was not a morning person. And I believe it was still early, way too early. If it was not, impossible I was so sleepy.
I opened my eyes slowly. “What is it?” I asked half-asleep. My husband helped me to sit straight. Then he lifted and put a small table in front of me.
“Happy birthday, Wife.” He leaned in and kissed my lips. I smiled as I saw the food on the plates and the drinks on the glasses. Chocolate potato donats, peanut cupcakes, apple pie, a glass of my favorite orange juice, and a glass of water.
“Thank you!” I said happily. He smiled widely, but I frowned. “Long as I remember, you’ll mad if I eat all of these foods for breakfast.”
“Today’s your birthday, I make an exception.”
Date was my weakness. I never managed to remember the dates of important days when I only relied on my memory. There was a special book I had that contained special days since I was a kid. Every morning I opened the book to find out whose happy day was that day. But since there was a reminder in my phone, I just used the app to remember the special days of my beloved ones.
Unlike me, Hendra was not forgetful. He had a sharp memory and always remembered important dates without any help from any tools. It was not only his wife’s birthday, he also remembered both his in-laws and his brother-in-law’ birthday. Even his parents often forgot about their wedding date. Hendra was the first person who remembered it. When he congratulated them, then his parent realized that it was their special day.
And it was my sixth birthday since we were together and Hendra never missed even a year to surprise me in the morning. Long as I remembered, since when we were friends in college and working in our respective workplaces, he never forgot my birthday.
“Wish my birthday was every day.” I bit one of the cupcakes, and then groaned quietly tasting the sweet cream.
“Well, then, I won’t allow you to eat all these foods.” He said seriously. I laughed, amused.
“Have you had breakfast?” I looked at him in puzzle. He walked around the bed to go to the other side.
“I haven’t.” He lifted another small table from the floor, before he sat beside me. “We have dinner together.” I chuckled as I saw the food he chose, chicken porridge, a bun, and black coffee.
“Are you serious you don’t want to try thus pie?” I teased when at the same time I offered a spoon of pie to his mouth.
“No, thank you. I like the shape of my body, I don’t want to ruin my hard work by eating sweet food in the morning.” He put a spoonful of porridge into his mouth.
“Mm… This pie is so delicious.” I hummed to tease my husband.
“I also have a very delicious food after breakfast,” He said meaningfully. I turned to him. Once I knew what he meant, I looked at the digital clock on the small table beside my husband’s side.
“But you can be late for work.” I frowned. Hendra hated to be late, and it applied also to other people who had an appointment with him. He hated it when people did not value time.
“For the sake of my wife, I am willing to be fired,” He said. To give a dramatic impression, he put his hand on his left chest.
“You’re the boss, no one can fire you.” I snorted.
“Well, now you get what I mean. It’s never too late to come to office for a big boss.” He said amused.
“But your dad will be angry with you,” I reminded him.
“Not if I tell him why I come late.” He cleaned his lips with a napkin.
“And that is?” I asked curiously.
“Giving him a grandchild.” He winked playfully. I smiled while I was shaking my head.
As soon as my food and drinking ran out, he lifted both of our small tables and placed them on the floor. Softly, he made love to me. I never complained about my husband for that one thing. He knew how to make me satisfied in bed. He was not a selfish man who thought only of himself.
Wanted to clean my body, I sat on the edge of the bed. I took a deep breath before I got up and heard the movement came from behind me. As my elbow was held from behind, I turned. Hendra put his chin on my shoulder. “For you.” He held out a box of velvet toward me. Reflexively, I rounded my eyes.
“I thought you would not give me a present after the surprise,” I said, taking turns looking at the box and toward him.
“Well, I won’t miss a birthday without giving you a present,” He said. I reluctantly accepted it. “Come on, open it,” He insisted.
I opened the box, and then rounded my eyes to see what was in it. There was a diamond-studded necklace in the box. I did not count them but there were dozens of diamonds combined with titanium on the necklace.
“Hendra, the goods you give me, they’re getting expensive every year. I don’t want you to do this for me.” I said quietly, almost whispering. He smiled and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Why not? You’re my wife. For me, the more you’re getting older you are more valuable. I love you, Za.” He kissed my cheek lovingly.
“Thank you.” I smiled as he kissed my lips. Before we could deepen the kiss, he pulled his face away.
“I’d love to stay in bed. But Dad won’t be hesitated to hit me if I don’t show up at the office today.” He sighed heavily.
Hendra hurriedly ran into the bathroom as soon as he saw the clock was almost seven in the morning. I laughed. He closed the door as he kept staring at me. Gosh, how could he love me that deep? He knew that I did not love him.
I made sure he was in the bathroom and waited until the shower rang, before I pulled out a box from the nightstand beside me. I took one of the pills, quickly put it in my mouth, and pushed it with a glass of water. The pill had saved my life. Hendra did not know that we would never be able to have children as long as I took the pills after we had sex.
(Picture Source: pixabay.com by @pixel2013 with some changes)
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