The sun was barely shining, the birds were just out and chirping, and I was in a state of pure bliss brought about by my morning companion.
Sharon and I met at a local coffee shop named ‘Angel’s Delight’ which is located at the centre of the small town, and we bonded over our shared love for caffeine.
One morning, as I got out of bed that day, I made my way to the kitchen as usual, eager to start my day with a fresh cup of coffee. But as I was pouring the water into the coffee maker, Sharon walked into the kitchen and said, "Can we talk?"
I turned to face her, and immediately noticed that something was wrong. She looked nervous, and her eyes were looking toward the ground as though she was searching for a pin on the floor.
"Certainly,” I said.
"It's about the coffee," she said as her voice trembled slightly.
"What about it?" I asked with a weak smile on my face.
"Well, you are too coffee-focused and I don’t like that. It seems like you can't even start your day without it," she said as she raised her eyes to meet with mine.
I was a bit confused, but I felt she was right after giving it some thought. I had never considered myself a coffee addict, but I did love to enjoy my morning cup of coffee alone.
"I'm sorry if it bothers you," I said, feeling a little defensive about my ‘coffee-ness’. "But it's just a part of my routine."
"I know," Sharon said. "But I feel like you're not really present with me in the mornings. You're always rushing to make your coffee, and then you're lost in your own world."
I felt my heart skip a bit out of the guilt in my chest. Sharon was right. I had been so focused on my own routine that I hadn't even considered how it was affecting her at all.
"I'm sorry," I said finally, apologetic for my inconsideration of her feelings. "I didn't realise it was bothering you so much." I added.
Sharon sighed and walked toward me wearing a beautiful smile. "I just want us to be more present with each other. Maybe we could wait to make coffee until we've woken up together.“
I nodded, feeling a sense of relief from her kind conclusion. It was a great suggestion, and it meant so much to me that Sharon and I were willing to work with it.
From that day on, I put in a lot of effort to be more present with my beautiful Sharon in the mornings. I would wake her up if I got up from bed before her, and we would spend some time cuddling and talking, and then make coffee together. It was a small change, but it made a big difference in our relationship.
Some weeks later, Sharon got terrible news from her sister that their mother had passed away suddenly. I did everything I could to support her, but she was understandably distant and withdrawn.
Days later, when we were making coffee together in silence, Sharon turned to me and said, "I'm sorry I've been so distant lately. It's not that I don't want to be with you, it's just that I'm struggling to deal with my mother's death if I could."
I felt really sorry for her and would have done anything possible to bring back her mother.
"I understand," I said, taking her hand in mine.
Sharon looked up at me with her eyes full of tears. "I don't know what I would have done without you," she said as she burst into tears.
I held her tight and with such protectiveness that it showed my readiness to do anything to make her happy again. I realised there and then how much I truly loved her.
Over the next few weeks, Sharon and I grew closer as we walked through her grief. But there were still some moments of tension and argument between us as we struggled to find a balance between supporting each other and maintaining our own individual needs.
One Tuesday evening, just after I had returned from the office, Sharon came home from work looking worried about something. She was very irritable and short-tempered throughout the evening, and I could tell that she was on the verge of snapping.
"What's wrong?" I asked, trying to understand why my Angel was acting rather strange.
"Nothing," she snapped back.
"Come on, you can tell me," I said, feeling frustrated and hurt by her defensiveness.
"It's just...I feel like you're always trying to fix me," she finally said to me in tears. "I know you mean well, but sometimes I just need to be sad, you know?"
I felt terrible about myself when she uttered the words. I had been overprotective of her and have been trying to make things better for her, but in doing so, I had unintentionally dismissed her grief and her need to process her pain in her own way.
"I'm sorry," I said to her, as tears came out of my eyes out of genuine compassion for her.
Sharon sighed and took a step closer to me. "I know you're just trying to help," she said in a soft voice. "But sometimes I just need you to be there for me, without trying to fix everything wrong with me." She said as she rested her head on my chest
I was overwhelmed and truly grateful for her patience and understanding. It was in moments like these that I was reminded of just how much I loved her.
As I sat at my balcony watching the distant sunrise over the town of Valentine, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for our life journey together as a couple. We've been through so much, but somehow, we've been able to overcome odds against us. I love my Sharon, now and always.