My wife and I were long-distance while dating, and between my last visit and when I moved in, she adopted a cat. The cat was so skittish she hid from nearly everything. She hid during thunderstorms, fireworks, plastic bags being opened, and visitors coming over, and only barely allowed my wife to sometimes pet her.

Me: “When did you know you wanted to marry me?”

Wife: “The day after you moved in.”

Me: *Laughing* “Why, because I cleaned your entire apartment while you were at work and had dinner ready when you got home?”

Wife: “Nah, it was [Skittish Cat]. She wasn’t hiding like I thought she’d be with a new person in the house; she was on your lap! You were even petting her and she was just purring away, happy as could be. You looked up, smiled, and said, ‘I thought you said she was skittish!’ That was when I knew. If you could win over [Skittish Cat] that fast, you were someone I needed to be with.”

Me: “And because you like my meatloaf.”

Wife: “And because I love your meatloaf.”

This story has been included in our June 2020 roundup as one of that month’s most memorable stories!

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This happened over a year ago, so it’s not to do with current events. Our two kids — a baby and a two-year-old — are very sick, with high fevers and sore throats. We take them to the emergency room, and after that, I go straight home while my husband goes to the drugstore to buy their medicine.

Once he gets home, and we give all the stuff that needs to be taken immediately, I notice he came in like he had been teleported right from the store. He has a shopping basket with the medicine boxes inside.

Me: “Um, did you pay for that?”

Husband: “Of course I did!”

I point over to the basket.

Husband: “Oh! Wow! How did that happen? I’m sure I paid!”

He looked in his wallet and found the receipt. He did pay for everything — except for the basket, that is — and had no idea of what happened. He was so worried and in such a rush that he did everything in a daze.

A couple of days later, once everything was back to normal, he went back to the drugstore, apologized, and gave back the shopping basket.

Our country has been on lockdown since late March. It’s now mid-May, and we’ve only just had some of the severe — and incredibly necessary — restrictions lifted, meaning my lovely hairdresser is once again taking appointments.

By the time I get there, it will have been almost three and a half months since I last had my hair done. Not really a big deal, in the grand scheme of things, but I have noticed a few unwelcome changes.

I also have a running joke that I’m getting old, even though I’ve only just cracked thirty-one.

Me: “Oh, man, I’m so old, my greys are showing! Look!”

Partner: “I really can’t see anything.”

Me: “It’s right there!”

Partner: *Stares intently* “Don’t worry; that’s white, not grey.”

Me: “…”

Partner: “Uh, I mean…”

Me: “Yeah, that didn’t make it better, thanks.”

Partner: “No! It’s fine! You don’t even notice it!”

Me: “Mmm-hmmm.”

I totally don’t care — I’d love a white streak a la Claire Saffitz –but watching my partner trying to backtrack made me giggle which, during this rather scary time, is always welcome.

My boyfriend and I are both avid nerds — we met at a convention — and one of our favorite things to do together is cosplay, with him doing most of the prop-building and me doing most of the sewing.

As such, I’m delighted one year when he gets me a heavy-duty industrial steam iron for Christmas, as well as a gift card for my favorite fabric shop. When I’m talking about this at the family Christmas party, my sister is considerably less impressed.

Sister: “He got you an iron? How sexist can you get?”

Me: “Yeah, a really nice one that I probably wouldn’t have bought for myself, so we can get a cleaner finish on costume pieces. It’s a useful tool for a hobby I enjoy; what’s wrong with that?”

Sister: “It’s degrading! He expects you to iron his shirts for him?!”

Me: “Nah, I’ll be ironing cloaks and surcoats and costume pieces.”

Sister: “Same difference!”

Me: “Didn’t [Her Husband] get you a set of those Silpat baking mats for Christmas?”

Sister: “Yeah, I’m so excited to try baking with them! Why, what’s your point?”

Me: *Pause* “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

This story has been included in our June 2020 roundup as one of that month’s most memorable stories!

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I am checking the aisles, making sure sale items are fully stocked, when I overhear this coming from the next aisle:

Woman: “All right, you can get some candy… Go ahead, pick out what you want.”

I thought nothing of this, picturing a mother with her child, until I came into this aisle moments later. It was a retired couple, with the wife giving her older husband permission to get candy.