It seems no matter how long you live with someone, there are new things to discover about them.  At our age, Darrel and I have fallen into a pretty comfortable rhythm that works for us.  We each have our routines, habits, and peculiarities that the other knows well.   Our personalities are very different.  At times, it is very entertaining for the other.  I have to remember when I hear him cussing and fussing that he doesn’t need back-up, it’s just something about a ball not making it into a basket or over a goal post. In turn, Darrel will sit patiently, while I bounce off the walls excited about one thing or another until I lose interest and wander off.  Then he can get back to whatever he was doing.  With this regular flow that we’ve got going, there aren’t a whole lot of surprises.  I almost missed this new thing of Darrel’s that now has become a regular presence in our lives.  

It was actually during the summer when this new thing of his became evident to me.  I had a furniture paint project to do.  Darrel got me all set up with paint, different size brushes, and other supplies. After almost two hours, I’m out in the full sun, hot and frustrated with two nightstands that were a drippy, streaky mess.  I noticed Darrel watching me from time to time but thought nothing of it.  He then comes outside and stands beside me to watch.  Now I’m really slapping the paint on, hoping he will take the brush and finish it for me.  But he doesn’t, he just stands there, and then he says, “Don’t you want to use the paint sprayer for that?” I say, “What paint sprayer?” he then goes into the garage and comes back with a brand new still in the box paint sprayer that he says he purchased a while ago.  Darrel sets it up and then sprays an even covering of paint over both of the streaky nightstands in just a few minutes.  As we both stand there marveling at the smooth finish, I secretly wanted to take a paintbrush and slap some paint onto the top of his head!

Another time I was in the kitchen prepping veggies. If you’ve seen me in the kitchen, you know it was a big production, and I struggled.  Darrel came in often, which is normal, as the kitchen is his domain.  Whenever I’m in there he feels the need to supervise.  My fingers were aching, and I was finally almost finished when Darrel says, “I have something for that.” He waved a plastic device in the air like he was about to do a magic trick.  Then he proudly and perfectly sliced an apple in 3 seconds flat! He is looking at me pleased as punch.  I’m looking at him thinking, did this joker actually wait until I was finished to do that?

I love crab cakes and had been talking about them for several weeks.  My craving was getting the best of me, so I decided to go to the store to pick some up.  Before I could get out the door, Darrel says we have crabmeat.  I had eaten the last of it, and he doesn’t eat it or buy it, so I knew we were out. We go back and forth until he goes out to the freezer and proves me wrong.  Now I’m looking befuddled and I ask, “When did you buy that?”  He says, “a while ago.”  I asked, “Who did you buy it for?”  He says, “You.”  Seriously, after talking about crab cakes all this time and he never mentioned it …I just had no words!

I was telling Darrel I had noticed our neighbor’s woodpile stacked neat and perfectly sized.  I suggested that we buy something to cut our firewood, for I frequently saw him cut wood with his ax.  Darrel said I already have something for that and showed me a wood splitter sitting in our garage he had bought ‘a while ago.’ 

I think you are starting to see the pattern now.  No matter what comes up: opening a jar, taking care of a food craving, removing gunk, diagnosing a car, pulling weeds from the roots, skin rash and allergies, fixing grandchildren’s toys, or mending a broken leg (ha-ha kidding about the last one…I think) Darrel says that he has something for that.  He then darts off to his secret stash and comes back with a tool, device, gadget, or product that is perfect for the task at hand.  The mystery is that even if it was bought specifically for me, I had no idea these items were in our home or had been here for such an extended period of time.

My Darrel is a bonafide, certified, surprise shopper.  He has the gift of foresight, for he knows his purchases will be called upon sometime in the future.  He is right about that, they show up at the most unexpected times, but usually when needed most; and I’m always pleasantly surprised.   I’m impressed with that man of mine. Although his timing might be off, I can always count on him to have ‘something for that!’ ♥

Amanda

Photos by Suvan Chowdhury from Pexels