Paybacks Are Heaven!

I am not above a bit of whining, begging, or cashing in an overdue IOU from my husband to get what I want! I learned very quickly that my husband was not the sort of man to remind me of his unwavering love for me by gracing me with flowers and gifts on the special occasions in our lives. When our first anniversary came along, he took his now pregnant wife to a dinner at our favorite restaurant and paid with a gift card he received from a colleague. No card, no flowers, and definitely no nice little couples massage.

Apparently he didn't get the memo on monumental occasions in a woman's life, because on my 40th birthday he me a card.  I opened it excitedly! Was there a gift card in it for a day of pampering or a shopping spree? Well, not quite. The card had a Chihuahua on the front with the caption "It's your birthday..." and on the inside read "Duh!!!". What woman in her right mind could appreciate a card like that on her big 4-0? That night I began to question my own decision to settle down with this man. However, I knew deep in my heart that he loved me deeply and I hoped he could still be "trained". After failing once again on our 5th anniversary, to say I was disappointed would clearly be a huge understatement. I hadn't expected anything over the top...perhaps just some flowers and a more appropriate card, along with my "gift card" dinner.

On the way home that evening the tears ran down my face and it was now clear that a smidge of guilt was beginning to set in for him. Suddenly I announced, "You really owe me! For our 10th anniversary I want to go to Bora Bora and stay in the bungalows over the water!". He of course said nothing that night, but I will say he began to get better as far as remembering those special days. I continued to tease him when he slipped up and found it even fun to tell him that it was completely fine, because I would just go out and buy myself something for that trip in a few years.

This year we celebrated our 9th anniversary and I again reminded him that the next one was Bora Bora. He came up with several reasons he didn't think he possibly could do this yet, but several days later he called me while at work and asked if I would be willing to celebrate our 10th early. He had just received an email about a great deal to Bora Bora with an upgrade to an over the water luxury bungalow. Um..."Duh!!!" 

In one month I will be checking off one of my big dreams and yup, those tears were definitely worth it!