My husband and I have a rather odd relationship. What we lack in conventional romance we make up for in laughter and fun. For us, teasing, joking and just being goofs is romantic.
My husband is a big, burly-looking man who is actually quite sensitive and sweet. He is also a giant man-child who watches cartoons, has an insatiable appetite for sweets and is easily frightened.
On our honeymoon we stayed in a nearly 100-year-old hotel. It was lovely but the mere age of the place creeped my husband right out.
He decided it was haunted when, on our first day there, the curtains fell down. From that point on, our “romantic” honeymoon was put on hold.
The entire time we were there we hardly slept (and not for the expected honeymoon reason). He insisted on keeping the TV and all the lights on throughout the night to ward off the “spirits” he claimed haunted the place.
Nearly two years later, I still tease him about this and I couldn’t help myself but use it to freak him out just a bit.
At the top of our stairs we have a little alcove where we keep several framed photos. There is one frame that doesn’t work with the rest and I kept meaning to move it to another location each time I went upstairs.
As a reminder to myself to take it downstairs I would lay it flat on its back. However, I have a tendency to get sidetracked and would consistently forget to take it down with me.
After doing this several times I noticed my hubby would stand the frame back up and not question me as to whether I had moved it. I saw this as my opportunity to mess with him.
For months I would purposely lay the frame down and he would correct it. Eventually he asked me if I had noticed anything weird with the frame. I told him I thought it was him doing it and you could see in his face when he made the jump to ghosts as an explanation.
In his attempt to control “the haunting” he brought the frame downstairs so we could “watch it.”
At this point I had to up my game.
While we were in the same room and the frame was right there on the table in front of us, I would find my moment when he was distracted and would lay the frame down. Then I’d wait for him to notice it.
This went on for weeks and each time he’d ask me if I saw or heard it move. I wouldn’t say he was frightened but he definitely did not trust that frame. I finally couldn’t take being the only one in on the joke and had to tell him it was me.
His reaction was first one of disbelief. He actually couldn’t believe I was moving it right in front of him and he insisted he’d heard it fall on its own at least once. When he finally did accept it was me he had to laugh and even told me he was proud of me for pulling the joke off.
Romance doesn’t necessarily have to be candle lit dinners, it can be an inside joke, knowing how to playfully tease and just having fun together.
Of course my hubby will now try to retaliate with a prank of his own and I can hardly wait for it.
