The people in my life (Part I):
My Support, My Better Half,
The Love of My Life –
Daniel.

I feel the lifting of a few brows, causing a slight disturbance to the air around us. Yes, we often have that effect on people, especially those who don’t know us well.
While many are likely to disapprove of the chemistry we share, I also sense their quiet envy of our bravery to love, which in many instances, have proven to be unconditional.
We met online. I shall not disclose which, for the site is now defunct and I don’t need a reminder of our age. It really was love at first sight, for me at least.
We shared a pizza on the evening of our inaugural date and spent almost two hours talking and laughing. I was doing the talking, while he laughed at my silly jokes. For almost two hours, I rambled on like a teenage schoolgirl in love. Years later, he told me that he hadn’t met anyone as talkative as me, which made me feel like Polly on a caffeine rush from tea. After dinner, I drove him home. When we reached his place, we sat in the car and continued our conversation for another hour or so. When the conversation died down, we did what most couples would do at this juncture: we bode each other farewell. I watched him make his way to the lifts of his HDB block. He looked back at me and waved. It was the reaction I was hoping for. After exiting the lift on the sixth level, I could see him walk towards his apartment. Before entering the apartment, I saw him turn and wave at me again, so I waved back before driving myself home. Thank goodness we stopped, for we were on the verge of a re-enactment of the verandah scene from Romeo & Juliet.
This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship that has lasted almost 16 years. We celebrate our 16th Anniversary on 31 July this year, a few days from now. Against the barrage of adversities that were placed in our paths, we were able to overcome them, and we hope to mount another. Now that we’re both ageing and pushing towards fifty, he still puts me on a pedestal and places my needs as priority before his own. Without him to steady me, I would have lost my footing and my desperate grasp on reality, for I was falling quickly down the dark ravines of depression.