For a long time this meme caused me some annoyance whenever I saw a version of it. I had a man. Or a boy really. He couldn’t do both. “Both of what?” you’re probably asking. Both of anything. You name any two things there’s a high chance he couldn’t do both. Or either. But I stayed because no one is perfect, including me. And whatever nasty habits I may have, I am one thing: loyal. So I stayed. I persevered.
And then he wasn’t. Loyal that is. Painfully, repeatedly. And still, I didn’t give up hope. I stayed until my sisters got extremely annoyed at me. I stayed until my friends told me I was a complete idiot. I stayed until I had a huge falling out with one of my friends for being said idiot. (Don’t worry this ends well, we’re friends again.) I stayed until I couldn’t recognize who I was anymore.
And then, against all odds, and the fear of being Forever Alone, I gave up on us. I braced myself to be a single, crazy cat/cake lady until the day I died.
And then, I met a boy. Or a man really, because he can’t be described as anything but. He was perfect on paper, but somehow all those things were the least of what I liked about him. I met a man who bought a vest from Banana Republic right before our first date because he thought he wasn’t dressed nicely enough. I met a man who boxed out people in the subway on our second date so nobody would bump into me. I met a man who cooked for me on our third date. A man who loves traveling, a man who could dance and look good doing it, who knows how to do his own chores, who loves the same music I do, and whose smile could light up an entire room. Plus, if I’m being honest here, a man whose arms made me think I’d never seen a real man’s arms before.
Beyond first impressions, there was so much more to love about him, that it was impossible not to. He’s the type of person who will always try to do the right thing. He always tries to give over 100% of his effort to anything he sets his mind on doing. He’s generous, thoughtful, and kind.
Don’t get me wrong. He’s not perfect. He doesn’t always know what to do with a pregnant lady with trust issues who is ugly-weeping over a discussion about cat litter. But he always, ALWAYS, tries his best, and in the end that is what matters the most.
In 2017, I got myself a man who couldn’t just do both. I got myself a man who could do almost everything, while wearing perfectly pressed pants that he ironed himself.
