[img]1361|left|||no_popup[/img] Dateline Boston – The man I have lovingly referred to in my essays as S.O. has a new name. He is now H, as in, Husband. We were married last Saturday. It’s hard to believe, yet easy at the same time. We’re like the proverbial two peas in a pod.
[img]1465|left|||no_popup[/img]We play off each other, do improvisational skits, and are affectionate. People frequently describe us as “cute.” I’ll take it. We’re each under 5’7”, we make silly faces, we’re always holding hands, and we gaze adoringly into each other’s eyes. Oh, sure, we’ve got that whole “newlywed” aura about us these days, but actually, we’ve been like this for more than two years already.
My husband is nice. Not nice in a “he’s not interesting” sort of way—he’s genuinely a nice person. Kind. He does stuff for people, and not because he’s a pushover. He is sincerely helpful.
I remember one of the first times he performed an act of kindness. It was a little thing, but it made an impact on me. We were away for the weekend for the first time. We were having breakfast in the dining room, and I had forgotten my special tea bags I had packed; they were upstairs in our room. As soon as I realized it and said so, H jumped up and said, “I’ll go get your tea.” He was gone, back, and had my tea in a matter of minutes. I’ve never forgotten that moment. It was the one of the first in a long line of niceties he does on a regular basis.
He opens my car door. He carries bags. He’ll put my shoes on if I’m having a back spasm. He’ll bring you to the emergency room. He’ll pick you up from the airport at 5 a.m. He does all these things because he wants to. They are nice things to do. He doesn’t brag about it, he doesn’t throw it in your face, and he doesn’t expect anything in return.
I appreciate everything H does for me, and I tell him so. I do not for one second take anything he does for granted. That’s the key. A girl could get used to being treated like a queen, but she mustn’t expect it.
By the way, I’m nice, too. We’re a team, H and I. It works. And we’ll keep on working it — till death do us part.
Ms. Campbell may be contacted at snobbyblog@gmail.com
