What Is One Thing You and Your Partner Should Share?

Conversation. Fun, shallow, serious--any kind of conversation that you share with your partner. 

That's the one thing my mother misses the most from my father. 

Growing up, that is also one thing I observed from them. Since, mother is a full-time mom, she would wait on my father and they would end their day, talking, conversing, or jamming and praying. When my father retired, I would see them just sitting side by side and talking for hours on end, with their conversations interrupted only by laughter. That is why, whenever I'd go home and visit them, I would join them and while away the time just sharing stories and laughter. 

So, now that father is gone, our neighbors would just see mother sitting alone in our frontyard. Some less sensitive ones would say, "Mingawon mi ninyo gatapad mong duha sa imong parter jud." (We really miss seeing you two sitting together.) I know they mean well, but saying that would just let mother remember. 

I just got off the phone with my mother and again we talked about my father. 

She went, "Valentine's na. Wala na koy madawat ani nga valentine." (It's Valentine's and I won't be receiving any Valentine gift.)

She is of course referring to the Valentine gift or surprise she gets from my father every year. I remember she received balloons, a card, a singing telegram, bag, shoes, clothes, a plane ticket, jewelry. I also remember, when we went to Hong Kong, father said, "buy your mama some jewerly." He even handed me the money for it. Ha ha!

They had always been so loving. There were arguments, sure! But there was more laughter. 

Not many know this but my father is like Dolphy to us--but only to us close family. It's a side no one outside family really know. I also laugh the loudest when I am with them.