HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RINA!

          Let's take a break from the food posts for a second. I would like to tell you all a little story. 

         Once upon a time, there was a guy who had just broken up with his girlfriend of nearly four years. He and his Ex did not have the most harmonious of relationships, but for some reason it managed to last much longer than it should have. It actually was to end a year earlier, but his perseverance.. Or perhaps, his (stupidity) inability to let her go, won his Ex over. 

   Throughout their relationship, the Ex must have called it quits on him close to a hundred times, but they would always end up back together. One time, after they reconciled from one of their nearly every other day fights, the Ex told him, "I wonder when it will be you, breaking up with me?".  He swore that despite the fact that his Ex could break up with him without so much as a second thought, he would only ever do it once. And that would be it. And he hoped that it would never happen.

   Sadly, that day had come. For the first time in their three years and nine month-old relationship, The guy was the one that told her it was over. They loved each other, no doubt, but sometimes, as cliched as it sounds, love isn't always enough. It was clear that they simply could not get along. Mistakes were made, and as his idol, Eddie Vedder once sang, "Some words when spoken, can't be taken back". 

      He met his Ex during a point in his life when he needed someone most. His heart was broken into a million pieces by yet another woman. She saw the sadness in his eyes, and he saw the kindness in hers. Within weeks, his Ex changed his outlook in himself.. and life entirely. 

     You must understand.. She was the campus crush. This was the girl that would make Varsity Basketball players stop practicing and peer through the gym doors whenever she would pass by. He was a fat schlub that women would never usually give a second glance. Yet with his wit and humor, he managed to win the heart of his "Dream Girl". His self esteem seemed to be attached to the fact that the most beautiful woman in the world (in his eyes) was in love with him. When they were together, he was on top of the world. It was quite fun watching the jaws of those hulking Varsity players drop to the floor as he walked past them in the gym with his arm around his ex. Whenever they passed by them as they practiced, he would give them a knowing smile, almost like it was his way of saying, "Yup, believe it.". But every time they broke up, he would feel worthless, not having the slightest clue what he would do with himself if they had broken up.

    This time, however, it was different. He was still absolutely lost on what to do with himself, now that he was the one to tell his Ex that they were over. But he knew one thing for certain. It was time to move on. 

    He sat at his desk, alone in his empty office. It was around 8:30am, no one else there apart from the cleaning lady. He couldn't sleep so he might as well do something productive with his time like leave for work early to beat traffic.

     Then his phone rang. It was her. They had promised each other that they would have no contact for the meantime, as he felt that if he heard her voice again, he would turn to putty once again in her hands. He started at his phone as it vibrated around his desk, unsure of what to do. "I should pick it up", he thought to himself, "She might need me for something". "But she isn't your problem any more!", another voice snapped back at him.

      The guy closed his eyes, and said a little prayer, asking for a little guidance. Answering the phone might be a show of weakness. Meaning it might prove to her that he was still under her power. But then he thought, "What if answering it would be a show of strength?". Talking to her like nothing happened, after their emotional goodbye might mask the fact that he was all torn up inside. 

   "Answer the phone now", a voice told him. "Answer it for the very last time." 

    So, against his better judgement, he answered his phone. "Hey.", he said cooly. "Hi", she said, rather business-like. "Oh don't worry, I'm not calling about 'Us'", she said, cooly. "Alright", he said, a little confused. "What is it you want then?" "Well, remember a few months ago, I told you the sister of my friend and her group needed a place to do their On The Job Training so they could graduate?" He had no idea what she was talking about, but didn't want to start a fight. "Okayy...?", he replied, totally lost. "Well, you told me that they could complete their OJT hours at your office. So can the seven of them start on Monday?". Even more confused than ever, the guy was at a loss for words. He told her that he didn't have the power to authorize the hiring of an intern, let alone SEVEN of them! 

      The argument began getting head, with the Ex insisting that he had made an earlier commitment and that she would look bad with her friends if the guy reneged on his word, as he tried to clarify that nothing was set in stone, especially if it was something "last minute". Realizing he had no way of winning (again), he sighed and said he would see what he could do before hanging up. Just before the guy put the phone down, his Ex said to him, "Just do this for me and you won't hear from me ever again, ok?".  

     The guy went to his bosses with his fingers crossed, and hoped for the best. He had no idea how he was going to convince them.. out of nowhere, to hire 7 interns, that would be ready to begin in three days. Long story short.. and even the guy himself isn't sure how he managed to pull it off.. but they agreed to get all seven. 

     The guy let out a breath of relief, and send his Ex a text message, saying "They can start on Monday.". Within seconds, the Ex replied, "Thanks. Don't worry, you won't hear from me again."

     Monday morning came, and promptly at 10am, seven women came through the doors of his office. Because he had a lot on his mind and had not slept the night before, (The Ex called late that night, asking him to fulfill yet another promise that he supposedly had made months earlier) he didn't seem very interested in getting to know them. 

    But as his head became clearer, he realized that there was something about one of them that piqued his interest. Maybe it was her beaming smile that lit up the room. Or perhaps it was her bright eyes that seemed to gleam into the very depths of his soul. Whatever it was, the guy couldn't help but smile. Because for the first time in nearly four years, the he felt smitten with someone else rather than his Ex. 

     This reaffirmed it for him. He was truly ready to move on. 

      And that my friends, was how I met Rina. 

               Yes, Rina was my intern, that I fell in love with. But before you start thinking about a sexual harassment suit, you should know that this didn't happen over night. She and I would build our friendship over the coming months, and it blossomed into something more. One of these days, I'm going to tell you all how I got her to fall in love with me too (Without the use of chloroform and a handkerchief).  

               But right now, this is all about her. 

        I apologize for the long winded introduction, but I cannot emphasize enough how much Rina coming into my life was like manna from heaven for me. It was like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly. This was it. This was truly "The One". 

 

           
 There is no one in the universe that I know that can match up to my quirkiness. It's refreshing to have someone totally get me, 100%. 

                 Seriously, how many women would be willing to pose like this with their fiancee' for the pre-nup pictures? hehehe  I know you guys think I'm the crazy one in our blog partnership, but what you don't know is how she comes up with ridiculous things for me to do behind the scenes. I'm actually just the willing "uto-uto"!

        But the bottom line is this: I just don't work without her. 

         Having a daughter with her has made me admire her even more.

            Watching her transition into a mother was uncanny. It was seamless. It truly came naturally.. It was almost as if she's been doing this all her life. 

           And seeing how Rain is such a happy Baby, It is clear that she's doing something right. And the amazing part? As her husband, she always goes out of her way of taking care of me. Although I am perfectly capable of changing my own diaper, anything I may need, I know I can count on her. 

        Everything happens for a reason. You just need to have faith that God will help show you the path. Of course, it is still your responsibility to walk it. 

    I shudder every time I think about this: If I didn't pick up the phone and talk to my Ex that one last time.. If I decided to be stubborn and hold true to the "no contact" pact that we had initially agreed on, I would never have met Rina, and I most definitely would not have the wonderful life that I have now. 

      She is the rock in which I draw my strength from. My inspiration in everything I do. My partner in crime. My dearest friend. The love of my life. My wife. 

My Rina. 

         Happy Birthday, my darling. Rain and I are so blessed to have you. 

You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.

I love you.

My previous birthday post to Rina is here.