Apr 9th, 2022 Saturday Sunny
“You owe me a castle.” said my husband with a pouty face.
?? What just happened??
Last October, we enjoyed an overdue vacation – a road trip to admire the fall colors of Acadia National Park in Maine. To make the long drive less of a pain, we decided to brave the seemingly intentionally complicated Canadian entry requirements to visit Toronto on the way.
I paid a visit to Toronto ten years ago, but my husband has never been there. He was eager to explore all the excitement that this international metropolis has to offer, especially Casa Loma, the Gothic style mansion near Lake Ontario. I, having already spent a whole week to go through all the tourist attractions before, was mostly only looking for gourmet experience this time (a week was not enough to try all the yummy foods in Toronto, not to mention all the new restaurants that opened ever since).
We only set aside one day in Toronto. Our plan was to take a stroll in the St. Lawrence market in the morning, grab something quick for lunch, then head out to Casa Loma and savor the history and architecture in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the rainy weather and the exhausting drive the day before made it challenging for us to get up as early as we wished. By the time we left the market it was past noon. And parking near the chosen lunch spot took longer.
Then, while we were walking towards the lunch spot, another roadside restaurant caught my eyes – a Taiwanese-fusion restaurant with an extensive menu including grilled spicy pork trotters, Lu-Rou fan (minced pork on rice), and mini hot pots. Seeing my longing face, my husband decisively changed the plan – we were to dine there instead. Woo-hoo~!
The food was freshly made, flavorful, and satisfying. We took the time to feel the joy of dining in, a luxury in the pandemic era (all the restaurants in Toronto checked vaccination records so we felt safer to dine in). When we finally got back to our car, we realized that there would be no more than two hours left once we reached Casa Loma, found parking, and paid admissions. I would hate to rush through my husband’s first castle adventure (I spent five hours there last time), so after deliberation, he resorted to save the visit for another time. We took the ferry to Toronto Island Park instead.
I felt guilty. We could have better arranged the schedule of the day to make the Casa Loma trip happen. Deep down, I knew that I was not super motivated to go a second time even though that is the highest priority for my husband. Sweet as he is, he always tries to make sure I get the vacation I want before fulfilling his own wishes.
“You owe me a castle.” said him half jokingly, as we were driving towards the ferry terminal.
I know, I know. I definitely want to make up for it, but how??
Fast forward half of a year, his birthday was coming up. We had been through trying times due to work stress and other challenges in life, and I would have been so worn out and shattered had it not been the enduring support from my loving husband. Then I had an idea – how about I make a castle birthday cake for him, to thank him and make him happy?
Cake decorating is an art and a craft. I am generally better at designing an art project than executing it with crafting skills. As such, I endeavored to make the cake design as simple as possible while still recognizable as a castle. I took half of a day off from work, hoping I would have it finished and in display on the table the moment my husband came home.
Of course that did NOT happen. When I heard the garage door, my castle cake was still missing two of the four turrets, a gate, two windows, two guarding trees, and the text on the top. I stood in front of the entry way and covered my husband’s eyes as soon as he stepped in.
“You are forbidden in the kitchen until I invite you in.” I said.
“But I need to make coffee!” He protested.
“Why didn’t you fill up coffee at work before coming home?” I questioned.
It turned out the coffee machine at his work ran out of coffee (……), so I agreed to be the barista for him while he was on exile in the lower level family room with our kitty.
An hour and a half passed, and the cake was finally ready.
My husband was so ecstatic to see the cake, that he might just devour it like a monster if I let him 😛 I apologized for having him wait for so long.
“That’s okay. I’ve gotten used to it.” He shrugged, reminding me that I seem to do it every year. I guess I tend to be over-ambitious when it comes to prepare gifts for the man I love, and I never learn. Sigh (face in palm).
Nevertheless, I do not regret it. This is one of my ways to show that, despite many years of dating and marriage, I always appreciate everything he does for me. I believe he feels the same. Maybe that is one of the essential elements of a successful relationship?
I have seen so many “old couples” ending in separation or divorce, not because they did not love each other, but because they start to take for granted, the existence of the other person, and all the favors they do for each other. They have been together for so long, that they forgot that however close two people may be, they are still two different souls. It takes reciprocation and mutual respect to keep both souls nourished.
No one likes being taken for granted. No one, including your parents, your significant other, and any of your family members, is obligated to be nice to you. If they are being nice, it is their choice, for which we should be grateful. When people sincerely appreciate all the kind acts towards themselves and pay it forward, the link of caring gets passed on.
That is how I prefer to relate to others. That is how I want to love.
Honestly, I think my castle cake looks more like a bald duck with a crown. BUT, my husband loves it, and that is all it matters.