I am my husband’s second wife. His first wife hasn’t died and neither has she divorced him. She is very much around and in fact, she lives with us. At first I did not like sharing my husband with her. It infuriated me but their mutual love and devotion tugged at my heart and I accepted her as part of the family.
I have grown resigned to the fact that she is his first love and he needs to spend quality time with her. I consider his faithfulness to her as his virtue. Unlike me, who’s a homebody, she loves to go out to the town or on long drives along the country roads. He takes her out almost everyday. Sometimes when he is too busy to spend time with her, he feels guilty and as soon as he is free, takes her out, usually for an early morning drive, their favourite.
When she is not well, he gets really worried. He takes her to the doctor and himself nurses her back to health. Sometimes it takes days or even weeks for her to get better and my or should I say “our” husband remains distracted all the while, constantly visiting her in hospital.
Once she nearly died. He was glum and depressed for weeks. Her doctor suggested a major transplant and though it cost him a bomb, he happily agreed. I realised again how much she meant to him and to what lengths he would go for her sake. She recovered well after the surgery and to our delight was back in the pink of health.
Initially in our marriage we all three used to go out together. But I soon realised that I was the odd one out and the two love birds needed their quality time together. So I let them go places without me tagging along. Once he took her all the way to Goa! They were back after three days of fun and frolic with friends.
They say if you love someone, you should let them go. If their love is true, they will come back to you. So I have set him free to be with his first love whenever he wants to. And he has come back to me. In fact, he spends more time with me than with her.
So I am not really jealous of her.
After all, it is not difficult to play second fiddle to a bike even though it is a Royal Enfield Bullet!