Between The Lines

Domesticity

Hello @the_fan, thanks for reading and giving nice comments since "Collision". I really appreciate it. And like I said, I admire your undamped spirit. This one's for you. ;) - IS

The sound of my wife's car woke me up. I lifted my head up from the dining table only to realise that the pot of sinigang I was cooking was overflowing. I never really cook Filipino food. I had to learn preparing this one from my sister 'cause it's one of my wife's favorite. Good thing it's simple enough to do. Kind of like my wife, very easy to please.

I quickly turned the stove off. My watch told me I slept for at least fifteen minutes.

Her timing's perfect. I can bet good money that she hasn't eaten dinner yet even though it was a quarter past ten already. I prepared the table so we could eat the minute she walks in...

which she still doesn't do five minutes later. I wonder what's keeping her. Or did I just dream that sound? I'm not still dreaming, am I?

I went out to check and her car was indeed there. I walked over to the driver's side and saw that she fell asleep. At least she managed to open the window before dozing off.

"Honey?" I touch her arm and shake her gently.

"Hmm," she mumbled, rousing from her slumber. "Hey, why are you still up?" She started yawning and stretching her arms.

"Why are you sleeping in you car? Where's your driver?" I opened the door and freed her from the seatbelt.

"Uhm, he just left," she answered, not looking at me, fiddling with the belt that I've already released.

"Is that right? Then why are you sitting in the driver's seat?"

She looks at me and concedingly she said, "Fine. I drove, okay? I told him to take half the day off."

"Hey," I said, trying to be patient. "I taught you to drive for emergencies and this is obviously not one. Just look how beat up you are. You could've easily fallen asleep while driving. You know how dangerous that is."

"Don't be mad, please? It's manong's daughter's birthday so I told him to go home early." She flashed me her puppy dog eyes. "I just remember getting so broken hearted when my dad missed my birthdays as a kid. I didn't want to do that to a little girl."

"Then you should've called me. You know I had the whole day off."

"Exactly. You had the day off so instead of worrying about me, you should be resting 'cause for sure, starting tomorrow, you're going to be so busy again." She rubbed the ridge marks the table runner made on my cheek.

"God. You're so stubborn. You never listen, do you?" She kissed me in response, her way of shutting me up. I hate how effective that is. "Have you eaten?" She stepped down from the car and closed it.

"I grabbed a sandwich before hitting the road. I wanted to go home as soon as possible. I was so tired. It was exhausting, you know?" What did I say? I was right, wasn't I? She missed meals again.

"I thought I was the only one who falls asleep in our dining table," she said teasingly. Distracting tactics. I decide to let it slide for now.

"Well, it's starting to look like your narcolepsy is catching." That earned me a light punch in the ribs. "I cooked sinigang." There it is. She can't help but smile at that. She's a sucker for the dish.

"Really?" she said, her eyes twinkling. "You don't even eat pork."

"But I know you love it."

"Yes!" She said, dragging me inside the house.