Usually he waits until the last minute. Then he scrambles about frantically trying to think of something special for my birthday. For me, that something special is him. I really need nothing else, and I tell him that. When we were really young and had little money for anything but necessities, while we were raising a family of three infants, I had once berated him for not remembering my birthday with even a tube of lipstick, anything to have me know he cared.

Of course he cared. That was the problem; we had far too much cares. Since then he has never, ever forgotten how much I looked forward to a gesture. The gestures that mean the most are those he takes care with, like the various birthday cards he has designed and thought about over the years. And there have been plenty of those passing years. It has been over 57 years since we were married, well over 60 years of our lives that we've been together as constant companions.

I know he's been absenting himself for periods of time ascribed to the necessity of finding little bits and pieces of tools for his workshop, any explanation that appears to sound reasonable. Hoping to find some item that he feels I would enjoy having. He has dropped hints about a new computer, jewellery, and my response has been that I have everything I want in my possession already.

Yesterday he stated baldly he was setting out for a nearby shopping center. I told him again, what I felt about it. But he rarely listens to anything I say when he's already made up his mind. From his expression on his return, I could readily determine that he was satisfied with this shopping expedition. Obviously, he has satisfied his need to present me with something special on my birthday.