Today is Theresa’s birthday. It has been one of those cold, dark and wet winter days. I woke up this morning at my usual time but it was obviously raining outside. These days, I park at the Syndal station when I go to the gym. It is maybe 150m to the gym and 100m to the platform. With the rain, with my gym bag in one hand and my work clothes in the other, there’s a good chance my work clothes would get messed up and my newly dry cleaned suit and pressed shirt would be creased, wet and grotty. Then it’s the 250m walk, after my run, to the platform. It would be cold and probably still raining, but I would still be perspiring.
It was too much. I decided therefore that I would not go to the gym. I woke up anyway, about 15 minutes later, hit the showers and went downstairs to make coffee for myself, tea for Theresa and milo for Kiddo – my ritual for the past what, almost 3 years now. By the time I finished my quiet time and breakfast and went upstairs, Theresa had just woken up. We decided I would go first. So, I didn’t get to wish her a proper happy birthday and dashed out the door to catch the 6:48. I got to the station in Mount Waverley with less than a minute to spare, did a quick dash and just managed to jump into the train.
When I got off at Glen Iris, it was still dark and it drizzled for a bit. The tram driver must have seen me huffing and puffing my way up the slope because the moment I trekked the 200m or so and hopped on, it took off. The 25 minutes ride on the tram was riddled with worries about what might have been sitting in my inbox when I got in. On days like this, a jaded office worker who has had to brave public transport would have been tempted to call in sick or complained about his lot as he takes the ride in. Me, I was grateful. I was grateful the rain had finally been a persistent presence, grateful I had a job to go to, and most of all, grateful that Theresa and I have a chance to lead a relatively normal life, and I have something – someone – to look forward to each day. It’s Theresa’s birthday today and I am so grateful to God for her.
Ante 