Through a Glass, Darkly

“You know how to hold my hand,
You know how to make me mad,
You know everything about me . . .” -Fleming and John

Mike and I spent the weekend with some of our friends in Atlanta. We hadn’t been to Atlanta since we went to a World Series game in 1999 (we both had work/class the next day, so we drove back through the night. I got the 2-4 shift, but we made it back barely awake with time to spare) and we didn’t get to do much touring that day. This time, though, we got to do a few touristy things with our friends . . . well, mostly just the Coke museum.

When we were at the Coke museum, I thought a lot about our shorthand. Mike and I have been together almost six years. I can read a joke in the twinkle of an eye, frustration in the muscles around his mouth, and fatigue in his shoulders. He knows when I’m going to give him a horrified glance when someone says something that could be construed as “dirty.” We know what will set each other off, what silly Hallmark-esque things will make the other tear up, and what will make us laugh until we cry. I know when to turn the radio up and when to change the CD because it’s not worth the disagreement in our musical tastes. He can tell me why I react a certain way to some people, even when I don’t know myself why I responded the way I did. He knows how I’m feeling by what books I am reading, and I know how he’s feeling by what CDs he’s listening to. I know that there is never ever a time when he won’t want a Diet Coke.

I take a lot of this for granted, since it’s my daily life. But when I go places with him, and someone says something and I can see by the twinkle in his eye that he knows I’m going to whisper, “Dirty!” it reminds me to appreciate what we have. Sometimes I need him to caution me with his eyes not to say what I’m thinking, or to give me sympathy with a glance. Our fourth wedding anniversary is fast approaching, and I am thankful for the history we have and how it translates into that safe and comfortable knowing. I think how much more we know each now than we did four years ago, and it makes me excited for the years to come.