Being a guy sometimes I can’t help but dream of what life would be like if I weren’t married or attached. If I had the independence to do whatever I want or date whoever I want. I sometimes live vicariously through my single friends.
I realize too that maybe I’m not the only one, heck the movie Hall Pass was made based on this notion.
Sometimes it just takes one moment of crisis to make me realize what I really have. It all started with a stomach flu.
I’ve been down with stomach flu for the past few days. Well it’s not just me. It started with patient zero here.
And then spread to my wife, then to my sister and then to Fighter. I think I got it from Fighter.
Because I got it later than everyone else I was yesterday going through the most painful phase while everyone else was recovering. When I wasn’t sleeping I was vomiting or on the toilet tending to my diarrhea.
Last night though something really bad happened.
I woke up in the middle of the night feeling very very cold from the air conditioning. I rubbed my legs together and make sure I was tightly tucked under the sheets but it wasn’t enough. I was freezing.
Finally I decided to do what I knew I had to do. I had to leave the warmth of my comforter, get out of bed and turn off the air-conditioning.
That went well at first…. except that by the time I got back underneath my comforter I went into a shivering fit. It was one of the most painful experiences I’ve endured in a long time. I kept wondering when I was going to cool down but it wasn’t happening. My body was out of control. I was shaking violently and breathing heavily.
I remembered the last time I had that feeling. It was many years ago when I had dengue. I woke up all alone in the middle of the night shivering and there was nothing I could do but turn off the air conditioning and wait for the shivering fit to wear off.
This time though I wasn’t alone.
The shivering was so violent it shook the entire bed till Shorty woke up and saw what I was going through.
Shorty and I are independent sleepers. That means she sleeps on her side of the bed and I sleep on mine. Last night though once she realized what I was going through she came over to my side and held me close so that I could feel the warmth of her body heat.
I continued to shiver for 20 minutes, barely even able to speak until my breathing slowed down and I regained control of myself.
For the rest of the night, Shorty took care of me. Bringing me a bucket to vomit in when I had to, and Pocari Sweat to drink when I felt dehydrated.
It was then that I realized something.
Compared to the last time I was in this situation, this time felt better because there was someone looking out for me. Someone who genuinely loved and cared for me.
That’s the big plus of being in a relationship, as opposed to being single and free. That you have someone looking out for you during the bad times.
Life is full of good times and bad times but the good times are easy… it’s the bad times that are tough… and it’s the bad times where it’s great to have someone.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space