Rich Wife, Poor Hubby

Have you ever felt so worried for someone that you wish you can trade places with that person? Given a choice, you would rather suffer instead of seeing that person suffer and you remain helpless.

I just recovered from a very bad bout of flu just weeks ago. Memory still lies fresh in me. Sore throat that feels like there is always something stuck there which you can’t swallow no matter how much water you drink. Fever that operates like a rollercoaster ride, up and down, never really subsides. So hot that you feel you are going to be brain damaged and turn retarded. Cough with phlegm that tickles you every now and then, vicious. Blocked nose battling to take oxygen and life away from you. Horrible. It took more than a week to fully recover.

However whatever I felt back then was nothing compared to seeing Lao Gong fighting against high fever now. Accompanied him to the doctor this morning and his fever has been up and down ever since. Placed my hand on his tummy and forehead every now and then and it is burning hot many a time.

Was in fact crossed at him this morning when we were at the doctor. The doctor diagnosed he is running a high fever and offered to give him a two days MC. Lao Gong requested there and then if it is possible for the doctor to give him two MCs, one for 14th July and the other for 15th July. The doctor went, “Huh? Why?” Think nobody ever asks of this, she is dumbfounded. She don’t know what this sick man is up to, she must be thinking, “Is he really ok? Why so weird?”

I tried to explain but not without giving Lao Gong an “I can’t stand you” look.

“Doctor, he is thinking of going back to work tomorrow, if he recovers.”

Next I turned to Lao Gong and told him, “2 days you just take. If you ok, just go back to work. No need to be so troublesome.” He is sick already and he still has the mind and energy to think about work and concerned himself with such trivial stuff. I wondered if I should be proud of him (due to his passion for his work) or should be disgusted that he does not know how to take care of himself.

The doctor is on my side. She told him flatly using a pretty professional tone (I like it) that she does not think that he will recover so soon, yes, he should rest more. Besides, she added, if he really feel like going back to work, he can go ahead and submit the 2 days MC to HR even though he only took one day MC, HR will know what to do.

Exiting the clinic, I told him off for being silly. Nobody will reject another day of rest, except him. Besides, for strategic reason, going back to work on the second day when in fact you are still on MC reflects that you care about your work. Compared this to the 2 separate MCs scenario where nobody will know your sacrifice. Well, this is my Lao Gong - silly, not scheming, woodie-goodie.
Precisely, this is why I married him.  So why am I unhappy? He is consistent in the way he treats me and other aspects of his life. I am just so hard to please. I have to be more appreciative and doting.

Glad that Lao Gong’s appetite is better in the evening, he finished up the whole big bowl of Udon soup I cooked for him. He never fails to compliment my culinary skill by finishing what I prepared for him. (My joy in cooking is not derived from the process of cooking but in seeing the food I prepared being gobbled down, enjoyed. Wanted to be a chef, did not manage to fulfill this ambition, but being able to cook for one’s loved ones is just as satisfying. I am sort of an exclusive chef in a way, better than a commercial chef. Me and my self-consolation.) And when he got better, the first thing he thought of is bringing me out. I should have said no, but I didn’t and halfway during our stint in IMM, his fever came back again. Seeing his blood shot eyes, I felt ashamed that I am not a good wife whilst he is the best hubby.

It has been a few hours since we came back and I am glad that whilst I was typing away, his fever subsided once again. However I am not leaving things to chance, I will wake him up to take medicine as it has been six hours since he last took his medicine. I know I am a log when I fell asleep, even alarm clocks cannot wake me, and so staying up here is like killing two birds with one stone.

I feel rich because of Lao Gong, he give me his everything. I impoverished him. My poor Lao Gong.