“Let’s go, quickly, while he is sleeping”, the husband said. And so we rushed out of the house, eager to make a most of this golden opportunity.
As parents to a five month old boy, our previously untamed lives
had undergone a total metamorphosis. We used to be big on weekend outings,
catching every random movie which would come out, meeting friends, long walks and
going to our favourite eateries. However,
today we had to meticulously plan every tiny outing, whether a cup of coffee or a short drive.
Date nights were effectively a thing of the past.
Not that we were complaining- both of us loved being
parents, and we had managed quite a few outings with our baby in tow. But
this new love of our life came with certain obstacles to some quality
husband-wife time, which needed a lot of effort and planning to overcome.
So after ages, the stars had aligned in such a manner that
the boy slept off at a time, which was conducive for a dinner date. And we seized
the opportunity, as soon as it landed on our lap.
“Pizza?” the husband asked. I gave a big smile and nodded. I
hadn’t eaten pizza in ages, but the reason for my smile was not that. Pizza
dates with the husband were always special, because our first official date involved
pizza, garlic bread and masala lemonade.
Three and a half years, and countless dates later, our order
at the restaurant remained much the same. We chit chatted about the baby, but
also about childhood memories, old friends and potential vacations. We laughed
and giggled, made fun of each other, reminisced about our very first date, and
how much life had changed.
We had a leisurely dinner, unable to fathom our good luck
that not a single call came from home. It was too good to be true. Well,
almost. Just as plans for dessert were being made, the phone rang- we were
summoned home, as the boy had gotten up.
“Well it couldn’t have been perfect”, the husband said. I
smiled back and said “This was as close as it could be”. And after quickly
paying the bill, we rushed home. From being just husband and wife for an hour,
we were back to being parents.
In my five months of being a mother, I realize that parenthood
can be hugely challenging to a marriage. It takes lots of effort to be husband
and wife, to take out time and energy for each other, when your child requires
you to be parents 24*7. But this short and sweet date with my favourite pizza partner,
gives me hope that perhaps the husband and I will do just fine.
