Midnight Stories #1: A Forgotten Anniversary
A few days ago, on January 25th, I stayed up late. And because of that, when my phone had been beeping at midnight, I noticed it right away.
It was a reminder. The note said “Anniversary”.
Huh.
It didn’t make sense. Our anniversary was in April, not January. The date was all wrong too.
Anniversary of what? With whom?
26 January. Such a mouthful and difficult date to remember. It didn’t feel or sound familiar. At first.
After some thinking and racking up old memories, slowly it started to become more and more familar. Until it clicked.
Of course. I remembered then. It had been 12 years ago. 26 January 2010.
The pieces were coming together, haltingly at first before rapidly got into a full picture. And lived that moment once again.
I was working that day. Couldn’t remember what day it was. But I remembered wearing my patented white shirt, brown trousers, and a pink outer that I wore on and off.
I had a movie date with two friends after office hour. I was on my way to the place when one of them canceled. So there were only me and the other friend.
Him.
I didn’t think much of it. I didn’t think it was weird or awkward because I had known him for years and been quite a good friend (although not really close) for some of them.
While I was reminiscing this, I tried to remember if I had ever look at him as more than just a friend.
Hmm, no.
If there was, I couldn’t remember at that moment.
I ponder for a while about that. Might be was because he was always either in a relationship with other people or pursuing someone (or two). And I had zero desire in pining for someone who was looking the other way.
And I liked him as a friend. I really did. I believed he also liked me as a friend too.
He told me about his dates and a girl he was pining for. And I told him about one guy who semi-ghosted me after a movie date. We talked about trivial things. And of course, we gossiped about our mutual friends.
What we didn’t talk about was anything deep or beyond the surface.
So on that day, I was really prepared for a platonic afternoon of good movie and good food with someone fun and familiar.
It turned out that I was wrong. That night was fun, sure. We watched a movie of Cameron Diaz (The Box? The Gift?), which I thought was overrated, then ate at a sushi place.
I remembered we took picture there, at the sushi place, just so we could send it to the other friend. I didn’t think I still had the pictures.
So, yes, it was fun. But, it wasn’t entirely platonic either.
Something changed during the time we spent together that afternoon and I couldn’t really pick the reason. Might be because it was the first time we went out together, just the two of us. Might be because at the moment we were both not in relationship with other people. Or, might be, I didn’t know, might be that was just how God worked.
One thing I knew, I went home that night feeling that I saw another side, another potential of him I had never realized before.
I had no idea at that time, except for one very small hunch, that that night was a pivotal moment for my life.
Because a few months after that day, we started talking about marriage. And a little over two years later, we did get married. And today, we had 2 children and were months away from our 10th wedding anniversary.
So, 26 January was an anniversary of that moment. When I started seeing him in a different light.
For the last 11 years (or whatever years since I set the reminder), I didn’t really notice. Might be because, unlike this year, I usually saw the reminder during the day, between works and chores which allowed me a little time to ponder.
I took it as a sign for me to look back at that moment and be grateful that God always had the best plan for me. And, I believed, for you too.
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“Midnight Stories” is a collection of my writings that are either based on true stories, or half-inspired by true events, or 100% a product of my imagination.
