CHAPTER 2: LIVING THE LIFE

Mignon McLaughlin once said, “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” This sounds about right because I had fallen in love over and over again with the one man I devoted my life and love to for the last seven years. Rose Anderson had been living the idyllic life with the man of her life, enjoying a marriage and life that only brought her joys and laughter. She had never once regretted marrying the love of her life because she knew they were destined to be together until death do them part.

The dream, the life she had once envisioned finally came true when she married her husband Alex Davis Peterson. Although it had not always been easy but Rose Anderson was determined to not only fulfill her dream but to ensure it would be one of the happiest and the most successful marriages in years to come.

Living in an urban neighborhood Rose was fully enjoying her married life; she had given up her career to become a fulltime housewife. She felt this was imperative to her marriage and wanted to ensure that everything was perfect! Her dedication, devotion and time were spent not only loving and taking care of her husband and her family but also her in-laws which had kept her extremely busy including cooking, doing housework, decorating their home with new stuff, shopping and spending time with her in-laws. It was only when she had free time she would enjoy spending time with friends having coffee or window shopping. Rose felt by doing all these things made her a devoted, kind, loving and caring wife. Her husband not only doted on her but also spoiled her with expensive gifts, lavishing dinner and trips to various countries around the world during their holidays. Alex never missed celebrating their wedding anniversaries every year nor did he ever miss celebrating Rose’s birthday. Whenever he went to work, he would always call his wife to check in letting her know he was at the office at the same time to ensure she was doing well. At times he would leave the office early just to get home to spend time with his wife bringing with him flowers or expensive surprise gifts. On the other hand, Rose also made sure to never miss celebrating Alex’s birthday. She would always bake his favorite chocolate cake with chocolate icing very nicely decorated with different birthday gifts every year of his birthday. Their time spent together was always full of love and romance, adventurous, joyful and happiness something every woman would ever want in her life and a fairy tale dream come true.

Their marriage had always been full of support and encouragement towards each other and there was nothing they never knew about each other, they had no secrets. Alex was known to be a very romantic man even back in university, always being thoughtful, caring, kind and an understanding man. When his wife was unwell he would take two to three days off work to look after her and would only return to work once she was feeling better. There were even days he would wake up early to prepare breakfast or come home to help his wife prepare dinner. If Rose didn’t feel like cooking dinner, he would make plans to have a romantic dinner at one of their favorite restaurants in town. Alex always made it a point to ensure his wife, his one and only love was happy every single day. For Rose this was ‘living the life,’ having the ‘perfect marriage,’ a life she once dreamed of ever having since she was a child, a life she believed would one day be fulfilled into a reality.

Indeed it was truly a happy life with a perfectly successful marriage for Rose Anderson and Alex Peterson. Even her neighbors were envious and jealous of the couple, they were always amazed full of questions as to how the couple was able to have and maintain such a long and successful marriage. At times her neighbors and friends would frequently visit Rose just to see the couple’s home and how they were living while asking questions, seeking advice on marriage and relationships. The same went for the couple when Rose used to go see him at the office or when she would bring him lunch, or pick him up from work; his colleagues were always amazed by the love and support they had for each other, always together standing by each other’s side. Alex was never embarrassed at displaying his feelings or expressing his love to his wife at the office or in public. Even when Rose was sometimes bullied or gossiped about by the female workers at the office, Alex always stood up for his wife ensuring and giving her a sense of security which was one of the most important element for a successful relationship or marriage, something that gave Rose security and confidence in knowing that their relationship and marriage was always solid.

Additionally it wasn’t just at the office or in public but also at home; whenever Rose was at home doing the house chores she took it upon herself to invest her time in improving her cooking skills and learning new recipes. Although she was already good at cooking and baking and her husband always enjoyed her homemade cooked meals, she felt the need to upgrade her cooking skills and learn how to cook various cuisines from around the world. As the saying goes, “A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” a quote to Rose Anderson was truly a great way of satisfying her husband’s stomach and an even greater way of capturing his heart. In addition to learning and improving her cooking skills, Rose would spend her free time painting, drawing and designing, a talent she developed while in high school. She would always find a quiet place to draw clothing designs, jewelry and building designs while painting artistic pictures of sceneries, places and people. This kept her busy and stress free as she enjoyed the life of a full time housewife, something she had not only come to love but had also brought her joy and peace as did her marriage to Alex Peterson.

Apart from his romantic charm and charisma, Alex was a true gentleman not only in public but also at their home as well. He was what one would call ‘a jack of all trades.’ For example when the lights would go off due to the burnout bulbs, he would fix and replace them, or when the facets were leaking and the pipes were broken and needed repair, he would get his plumbing equipment to fix the facets and pipes right away. If anything needed replacement he would immediately go to the appliance store buy the equipment return home to replace and fix everything without a second wasted. His love and care was also shown when Rose would sometimes injure herself while cooking or cleaning. He would immediately rush to her side get the first aid box to clean and bandage the wound, the cut, the burn or any injury then have her sit and relax while he finished whatever housework, cooking or cleaning his wife had been doing.

Even in public outings, company events, at restaurants just about anywhere they went or were together, he always looked out for his wife. For example when someone or Rose herself spilled something on her outfit he always had a backup plan ready either an extra outfit or had something handy to cover up the stain on her outfit or worst case scenarios would go home. He always assured his wife was well cared for and protected which not only gave her a sense of pride and happiness towards her husband, but also a sense of security in their marriage and a reason for falling in love with him over and over again. To Alex Peterson, his wife Rose Anderson was his life, his priority and precious treasure that he truly cherished, anything she wanted from his support to encouragement he was there and always by his wife’s side. Moreover, Alex was the family sole provider and protector of his wife and family while Rose was the builder, the protector and the supporter of her husband and family.

Their marriage was truly special, perfect in every way; they were both living a peaceful life full of love, joy, and happiness. It was a marriage that their friends, families and colleagues truly envied, a marriage that was full of passion, care, trust, commitment, excitement and adventure. Alex could never have been happier, more proud and even more satisfied with Rose Anderson and their marriage. Their marriage of seven years had been built on a foundation that had grown to be solid with trust, love, care, deep affection for each other, with harmony and loyalty that spanned over the years bringing them closer than ever before not only in their lives but also in their marriage. From the day Rose Anderson said at their wedding alter the two words, “I do,” to the man she fell in love with since university in a church in front of friends and family, she vowed to always love, cherish, and honor her husband Alex Peterson and their marriage with loyalty, commitment, trust, understanding, care, love and support. She vowed to always be happy, that her husband will also always be happy; their marriage will always be peaceful full of happiness and will always protect their family no matter the cost for years to come.