One Lime Green Car

Last Sunday I found myself in the crossfire of an exceptionally explosive tiff between Ken and his mom. there we were, waiting for a table at a restaurant when his mom suddenly demanded the keys to the car and drove away without us. ken had been going on and on about how the new car isnt as cheap as the car dealer had made it out to be and his mom probably decided she heard enough.

in the end we took an hour to walk home after dinner. i had all but lost my appetite from being caught between the mother and son one time too often, and i was upset with ken for spoiling an otherwise lovely sunday outing. i was thinking that i'd probably have to call his mom out for dinner the day after and properly apologise and hear her side of the story.

but the bad evening came to an unexpectedly good end eventually.

while we all have our fair share of family problems and heartaches, ken comes a household that bears a lot of scars. he makes it a point never to talk freely about it, and the first time i heard it from him it was obvious that he was having a particularly difficult time recounting the story.

then last sunday he asked me again if he was good enough for me. coming from a family like his, he said he didnt know if he could ever become a deserving husband or a responsible father. i was surprised because i never knew that the shadows of his past were cast so far ahead upon his present and future.

it isnt often that ken bares his heart like he did last weekend, and despite spending the past five years with him i could never quite shake off the feeling that he had made a part of himself unavailable to me. sunday's incident, however, seemed to trigger the floodgates. ken was open, vulnerable and honest, and i felt as if i was looking at him for the first time all over again.

as i listened, i was reminded of the reasons why i chose to be with ken in the first place. this man, with all his imperfections, would be the one i would spend my days protecting.