The Curious Case of Sherif Zaki.

Hello, Hello…Hello and how are you? I am fine, I am fine…I hope that you are too.

If you don’t know the above then you probably had a different education than the one I had. This was a jingle they taught us to sing back in nursery. I still remember sitting on my mother’s lap and singing it with her. Lately, I have been singing that tune at work, to the amazement of my co-workers, but that has been the norm these days, as they have been quite amused by my personality for all sorts of things.  

My character at work has always been quite unique, everywhere I have worked, my stint has always been filled with controversies, from fun moments to weird ones; it was always I who set the mood back in the office. I really wonder how all those places I’ve worked at used to be like before I joined – and the same goes for when I depart, I always think that life would never be the same again for them.

Four years ago today I went out on my first date with my-now beautiful wife. The day started with sms’s going back and fourth. Finished work and went home to get showered and put on my MTV sweatshirt and grey jeans and off I went in my brother’s car. I had a mixed-songs CD, given to me by my friend Serour aka Zike. He had customized it just for me and it was sitting home for months as my car was being fixed – so this was the perfect occasion to listen to it, especially that the drive to her house was quite a ride. I still remember being lost trying to find her home just like I remember the eye mascara she was wearing. We went to Starbucks, out of all places. Safe to call, that I had my first Caramel Macchiato experience that night. I don’t think she expected me to open up the car door for her when we were leaving, but I could tell how much she liked it.

I told my wife 'I love her' three weeks after that first date. I told her those words before she even stutters them to me, something that I would have never allowed myself to do before. What she doesn’t know, until that day, is that I had stalked her online before we met. I can’t remember if it was MySpace or another website, but I had known that she liked Napoleon Dynamite and Coach Carter – which was music to my ears, as I didn’t know any other girl who liked both movies – or, in the case of Napoleon Dynamite, liked it to begin with. I remember mentioning them subtly in our email conversations before we went out on that first date – just to see her reaction when she found out I liked them as well.

After that night, it’s safe to say that my wife and I saw each other practically every day for a year, till we got engaged, except in those rare moments when we didn’t talk due to stupid arguments that were triggered by yours truly, not sure if it was done to prove my masculinity or out of habit, but those days were long, dreary and full of anguish.

I married my wife on October 11, 2014, just a year and a half after our very first date. I don’t think I have ever felt as elated as I did that night. Post-marriage life is different. I am still the same person I am with my friends. The same person I am with my co-workers at work. However, I am not the same person I am today as I used to be four years ago when I went out on that date. I was always told by my married friends – back before I got hitched – how marriage is different, and even though I had an idea, but it is different when you experience it. The excitement has a different meaning. Talking to one another and looking into each other’s eyes have a different feeling.

I may have missed being her boyfriend, but I love being her husband. I may miss picking her up every night, but I love waking up next to her every morning. If time rewinds, I would still play my life in those four years the same way it folded out – aside from the arguments.

Happy anniversary, baby, and may I always live to be the dorkiest, weirdest and most amazing husband out there. Always remember, hearts & farts.

Yours, and yours alone,

Sherif.