SUMMER NIGHTS - Adisha

I didn't know what to do. The last argument had seemed endless. And it was our 3rd so far.

Could I help it if I need to sleep with a blanket no matter what the weather? I so like to cozy into it and have the air conditioner way down, cooling the room. And he was being so unreasonable, with quips like if I felt hot, I should sleep in a bed sheet and let the thermostat be at room temperature. The nerve !!!

Dad was the exact same way. " Why do you girls need to keep the A/C facing you, if all you are going to do is bury yourselves into the blanket ? Do you know the amount of energy you're wasting ? Not to mention, the electricity bill ? " But his lectures fell on deaf ears as the gentle air from the ducts lulled us to sleep.

I sighed ! I had so hoped my husband to be different but alas! It's not my fault that he can't keep a blanket on himself and then ends up freezing through the night. It has been 9 days since we've slept in the same room. Actually we hardly slept at all and there seems no end to it. We would try sleeping and either he or I end up going in the main hall for the rest of the night. What a way for newly weds to be. But then, who can blame us, for the way we sleep is ingrained into us over the years and a person need to get comfy to be able to relax, right ? RIGHT !

The worst of it was , this stupid thing was the cause of our first, official fight as husband and wife and it had reached stalemate. Maybe it was the sleepless nights that were adding fuel to fire but it was getting me very worried. If a stupid matter like this could have us fighting like cats and dogs then what hope do we have for the important issues ? Already I was calling him mean and unreasonable and he was calling me pampered and stubborn. Tears burned my eyes as I recalled the ugliness of the argument and imagined us shouting our way to a divorce once the important matters reared their heads.

Sure ! In the beginning it was all roses and chocolates, but that's normal for any couple right ? It's hot and heavy in the beginning and starts cooling down as time elapsed. Here it was the complete opposite, metaphorically speaking. The wedding was in March and the 3 months since had been cool - fun and frolic and now that summer had hit in full force, it seemed to be heating things up in more ways than one.

The forces of nature actually felt like they were plotting to drive us apart. I kept forgetting to keep the bottles of water in the fridge and he so wanted a cool drink as soon as he entered the house. When we went out I'd clamor for an ice cream and golas whereas he'd warn me about calorie intake and brain freeze. He loved sleeping on the balcony, enjoying the natural winds he said and I couldn't ever imagine doing that. I preferred staying indoors and he'd talk about going for long walks to soak in the sun. I'd get cranky once I started sweating and he'd revel in the Vitamin D. The list went on and on, leading to futile bickering .

Marriage was so hard !!! Living with a guy for the first time seemed to be about discovering things about myself as much as him. Things that seemed natural, every day habits had turned into something that were unique to me. Adjusting to each other's life, convincing each other to try a new way of doing things seemed to have become a 24/7 job.

Ok ok ! I admitted to myself. I was exaggerating quite a lot. It wasn't all bad. We could talk for hours about anything and loved making each other laugh and it was amazing to be setting up my own house, living the way I'd always imagined and he was as much as sport at trying new things as I was and well, to be honest till now the experience had been highly pleasant. In fact, I'd found my self loving him more with each passing day. Yet these last few days had me homesick, craving my comfort zone - the room I grew up in, my bed.

To be fair, he probably felt the same way. It occurred to me he was surely as miserable as me. I mean, who likes fighting right? A sob escaped me as I thought about how horrible he must think I was. He was probably sorry to have married me and was thinking of all the other girls who would have been a better match. He was probably regretting ...

The door bell rang loud, interrupting my thought train. I wiped my tears, quickly washed my face and rushed to the door.

As I pulled it open, there he stood with an even more morose expression. Poor thing !! How silly of me to pester him so. He must be so tired from lack of sleep and from working all day. My heart broke to see him so exhausted. And it was such a silly matter. Surely, I could adjust sleeping the way he did, in time. Habits are after all, all that we make of them. Sorrys welled up from within me.

Before I could utter a word, suddenly his expression changed to one of a cute child, displaying the smile I had come to love and out came a rose, almost magically, from behind his back.

" I'm so sorry sweti !! ", he whispered as he gave me the rose and pulled me into his arms, almost carrying me into the hall.

" No , no , I'm the one who should be sorry. I really didn't mean any of all that I've been saying. I've just been so tired and cranky. I guess we both have. It'll just take me some getting used to. "

He pulled my hair away from my face and looked into my eyes. " You've been crying. Very bad! You shouldn't cry over such silly things. "

That only got the tears flowing again. " It's just been so bad. Every weekend seems to be a fight fest. You must think I'm so horridly childish. ", I whimpered.

He set me down on his lap, and beamed at me. " Shussh now !! Childish yes, horrid, never. I love that you bring out the child in me as well. It's a silly spat and we should treat it like that. All a part of getting to know each other better. Some things we can solve, for the remaining we will adjust over time.

Now, what I suggest for This particularly pesky problem is we should buy you a fan. You know, one of those rotating ones that you can shift around and then you can keep it positioned towards you. That way you can sleep in your cozy blanki and I can be comfy at the temperature the room is at. How does that sound ?? "

A giggle escaped my lips. " That sounds like another reason for me to love you more. "

Those ugly problems from the future faded away as the light of compromise shone upon us, making just a little wiser, a little stronger, bringing us closer. The heat of the day increased exponentially as we kissed, all the past days' bitterness melting away ...

This post WON the "Summer Heat" Contest held in June 2009.