Married and in a Long Distance Relationship

Now that you’re married, what’s next? “TONS OF PAPERWORK”, I replied. 

Now back in the Philippines. Passport stamps, broken hearts.

Same old self, new civil status.

Three four letter-words to add to my family name; First one I stole from mein Mann, the other, I worked my ass out in gradschool, the last I acquired for the (new) job I started this week.

And so there it goes. After 10 blissful days in Hong Kong with the husband, we are both back to reality.

We have had our couple of goodbyes as sweethearts, but the latest goodbye at the airport was the worst of it all. Who would actually feel fine with having to bid your husband goodbye as you have to go on separate ways yet again? I bet nobody. Yeah, a temporary goodbye, but painful nonetheless. 

I always find fetching him at the arrival area the most exciting of all, and having to let go of his hand by the departure area as an unpleasant one. We both had been trying to hold back the tears as  we rode the A21 Bus from Nathan Road to Hong Kong International Airport. He was sending me off as I was flying the night before his flight. This has not been really smooth, though. Back in the hotel, we had been a little dramatic for the last three days, especially on the hours before I had to zip my luggage and get my stuff off the rack in the bathroom.

The intensity of emotions kept flowing. All throughout the one-hour bus ride, we gripped each other’s hands tighter and tighter as we approached HKIA. Mother nature perhaps understood what was going on, so since we couldn’t weep on the bus, the heavens did.

He was again teary, too, as I went to the immigration counter and had to let go of his hand. But it was a really miserable feeling, so I didn’t have second thoughts. I turned back to him to give that one last hug and kiss as he wiped my tears. I went on to the queue and when I looked back, he was standing there, waiting for me to get through and perhaps until we are no longer on each other’s sight. My heart couldn’t feel heavier, and his eyes said exactly the same.

Seven hours and a connecting flight later, we were on a long distance affair again. This time, not as sweethearts, but as a married couple.

We are back to our busy life halfway around the world. It feels quite different. Not the bad kind of different, but the one that can only be simplified by saying we have a more secured, stronger type of connection. Of course, that includes a new set of endearment and petnames. 😀 and yeah, newer choice of GIFs and emoticons. 😀 We get to talk as much as we did before, only that the topics are more serious than they used to be. Perhaps, because now, the only thing that separates us is the paperwork we both hope will be friendly enough to close the gap.

How did other newly wed couples feel about having to go through the LDR once again?