Every necklace
“You bought the dress and the shoes and the flight and you never mentioned any of it. I know what being asked actually costs somebody, and I asked you anyway.”
“When I rang you at an unreasonable hour you did not ask why I had not rung home. You just said you were awake, which I am fairly certain was not true.”
“There was a year we do not talk about and we both know which one I mean. You stayed in the room when leaving was the easier of the two things.”
“You came down the stairs on Saturday and I lost the sentence I was halfway through. This has been happening since the night we met and has not stopped.”
“After all these years, you still manage to surprise me almost every week. A new joke, a new idea, or one more reason to fall for you again.”
“Everything I know about loving someone properly I learned in our kitchen. Not from anything you ever said about it. From watching how you did it.”
“Plenty of people will agree with me and most of them are doing it to be kind. You tell me when I am wrong and you do it without enjoying it at all.”
“My parents always had to be careful with me. You never bothered with that. You told me straight, and you did it kindly, and I listened every time.”
“My jokes have not improved in all this time and we are both clear on that. You still laugh at the bad ones in front of other people, which is loyalty.”
“You went first through all of it and you had nobody ahead of you to ask. By the time I got there you had already worked out which parts were survivable.”
“There will be days when you do not know how to fix something. You will figure it out, the way you always have, and I will be a phone call away.”
“Somebody will stand on the dress and something will go missing by eleven. You will have the safety pins and the bandages and will not make any fuss of it.”
“This will be the busiest summer break you have ever had. And I think it will also be the best, with our baby in your arms.”
“You inherited my sense of humor and made it even better. Remember: you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and funnier than you think. Keep spreading joy wherever you go, sweetheart.”
“You have worked birthdays, holidays and more night shifts than I can count. I hope you get this birthday off, and if not, I hope someone brings you cake.”
“I made a playlist for your birthday of every song that reminds me of you. It ran over four hours, which says a lot about how often you are on my mind.”
“It starts to feel like Christmas the moment your car pulls into the driveway. Before that it is just lights, a tree and a lot of waiting.”
“Your Christmas lists used to run three pages, with pictures cut from catalogs. These days, the thing I want most is just time with you.”
“I make your coffee every morning because it is the first way I get to say I love you. After all these years, it is still my favorite part of the day.”
“I still remember running behind your first bike, holding on to the seat. The day I let go, you rode all the way to the end of the street.”
“When you took your first breath, I told you I love you. And I'd use my last breath to tell you the same. I might not be with you, but know that I believe in you.”
“Your first classroom is waiting, with empty walls and a desk that is all yours. By June it will be full of drawings, noise and kids who think the world of you.”
“The first time you pay for your own groceries, you will think of me. And you will finally understand why I hid the good snacks.”
“I hope your first houseplant survives longer than mine ever did. And I hope your new home grows just as green and full of life.”