Trinity of the Birthday Girl, Modern Woman and Subservient Wife

This is a fairy tale based on a real life account. Read into it however you like:



Once upon a time, a girl (who is a wife and also a modern woman) awaits for her birthday to arrive in two days' time- well, actually, it's not fair to say that she awaits for the day as birthdays are hardly days one would celebrate for as they signify erm, like an older age?- nonetheless, she decides to rub off that tiny bit of cynicism and embrace the notion of birthday celebration like any adolescent would.

In the living room one night, she watches TV with the husband.

"What are we doing on my birthday?" The wife asked innocuously.

"Hmm, nothing. You wanna go out? We can if you want." The husband's eyes fixated on the screen.

Darn men.

Wife pouted and glared dangerously in his direction. She mustered some form of half-hearted anger towards the man (as deep now, even she was not absolutely convinced of the need to celebrate) and said without emotions (which actually meant alot of emotions) that she was going to bathe.

In the bathroom, a myriad of thoughts flashed through her mind: you terrible men! sickening men! what's the point of marriage, marriage is the death of romance, I don't need a celebration from you and blah. That helplessness and anger soon gave birth to self-righteousness and a desire for independence.

Why be a subservient wife when you can be an independent woman? Why wait for men? Do it yourself!

So, in the midst of deciding which bath lotion she should use for the day, the Wife planned on the perfect birthday celebration which no one could wreck as she, and she alone, would be responsible for. It's decided- she would get herself a cake (from Canele or The Patisserie), flowers (hydrangea preferably), book a good restaurant and take the husband out instead.

That's the wonder of being a woman in the 21st century. That's the beauty of having financial independence. That's the power of feminism.

The wife stepped out of the bathroom afresh, both in mind and spirit.

She was about to announce the grand proposal to her husband on the same couch where she was first disappointed, when the husband looked up and uttered quite unexpectedly,"I actually planned a birthday surprise for you but I could see that you are disppointed by what I said. I think you cannot take it lah (ie: surprises), so I am telling you now that I have actually planned something on that day."

Oh.


At that moment, the wife blamed herself for spoiling the surprise and cursed the feminists and their good ideas under her breath.


Although that gesture made by the husband had effectively saved him from a domestic crisis and earned him an approving hug from the wife but nonetheless, deep within the woman, that revelation had introduced perplexities to her mind that will not go away till this day.

Are independence and strength necessarily positive traits that women should have?


One thing for sure though, the wife concluded that if she had been less of a modern woman and more of the subservient wife, birthdays would certainly be more delightful affairs.