The Man Who Chose Us

I used to think love was in grand gestures, in flowers, promises, and the beautiful words people whispered at weddings. Until I met a man who taught me that love is, quite simply, choosing someone — every single day.

He crossed barriers I never even saw, rearranged his world around mine, and made room for my dreams, my career, and the life I wanted to build. Somewhere along the way, his plans became our plans, his battles became our battles, and my happiness became a promise he made to himself.

Sometimes, I catch him missing home. I see it in the quiet moments when he longs for his friends, for familiar faces, for the life he left behind. And yet, he stays. Not because leaving would be difficult, but because being beside me is where he chooses to be. He carries his sacrifices so quietly that I sometimes forget how much they must weigh.

Every night, after a long day at work, he plugs in my phone and watch so that my mornings begin without a little panic. He steps away from meetings to steal a few precious moments with me. He is learning to drive, not simply to get somewhere, but to make my life a little easier. He finds a hundred tiny ways to love me, often before I even realise I need loving.

And perhaps that is what makes me feel so small and so deeply loved — the way he tries a hundred times harder, not to keep score, but because he believes we are one. Because to him, it is no longer you and me. It is us.

At our wedding, he made a promise before God. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.” I have watched him live that promise, not through perfection, but through patience, tenderness, and the quiet determination to never let me feel alone. He cannot bear to see tears in my eyes; if he could, he would take every sorrow meant for me and carry it himself.

Sometimes I wonder how I found a love like this. Perhaps true love really does find us in the most mysterious ways — when we least expect it, in a person we never knew we were waiting for. And once it finds you, you understand: you don't walk away from a love that feels like home. You hold it, nurture it, and choose it, even on the difficult days.

If anyone ever asks me what my happily-ever-after looks like, I won't speak of castles or fairy tales.

I'll tell them about a man who remembers to charge my watch.

A man who misses home but builds one with me.

A man who makes room for my dreams, even when it means rearranging his own.

A man who chose me, and keeps choosing me.

And if I had to live this life a thousand times, through a thousand different beginnings, I would still pray for the same ending: to find him, to choose him, and to grow old knowing that somewhere in this enormous world, love found its way to us — and neither of us ever let it go. ❤️

For every such man, this poem is dedicated:

Kuch lafz the, jo keh na sake,

Kuch khwaab the, jo reh na sake,

Phir tu mila, toh yun laga,
Jaise dil ko uska jahaan mil gaya.

That first little glance, that beautiful smile,
I never knew you'd be my favourite place to hide.
From strangers once to you and me,
You became my home, my safest memory.

Woh pehli nazar, woh pehla asar,
Dheere-dheere khoobsurat hua yeh safar,
Kal tak jo ajnabi sa tha,
Aaj meri har dua mein basa.

Nuvvu naa pakkana unte,
Prathi roju pandage la untundhe.
(When you're beside me, every day feels like a celebration.)

Teri hansi mein meri khushi,
Teri baaton mein meri zindagi,
Kabhi nok-jhok, kabhi pyaar beshumaar,
Tu hi mera sukoon, tu hi mera karaar.

And maybe love is not always grand,
Sometimes it's just your fingers in my hand,
The silly fights, the midnight talks,
The little detours on our endless walks.

Nee chiriyil njan enne marakkunnu,
Ninte koode njan veedu kandethunnu.
(In your smile, I forget myself; with you, I find home.)

Do saal beet gaye, mere humsafar,
Par dil ko tu lagta hai kal hi mila,
Har subah tere saath nayi si lage,
Har raat tera naam lekar dhale.

If I could go back and live it again,
I'd choose your laughter, your love, your name.
In every lifetime, whatever may be,
I'd still find my way back to you and me.

Arz itna sa hai, mere jaan-e-jahaan,
Yun hi thaame rakhna mera haath sadaa,
Na chaahiye duniya, na koi inaam,
Tere saath hi khoobsurat hai har mukaam.

Nuvve naa lokam, nuvve naa pranam,
Nee thone saagali naa jeevitha payanam.
(You are my world, you are my life; I want my life's journey to continue with you.)

And when the years have softened our days,
When silver finds its way through our hair,
I hope we're still laughing at our silly jokes,
Still stealing kisses when nobody knows.

Ennum nee, ennum nammal,
Ente hridayathil nee maathram.
(Always you, always us; in my heart, there is only you.)

Kabhi tu sataye, kabhi main manaun,
Kabhi rooth jaaun, phir paas bulaun,
Sau baar milein toh sau baar chahoon,
Har nayi subah tujhe hi paaun.

Two years down, forever to go,
A thousand more memories waiting to unfold.
And if forever begins all over again,
I'll take your hand and fall in love again.

Mere aaj mein tu, mere kal mein tu,
Meri har kahaani ke har pal mein tu,
Do saal nahi, sau saal ka vaada hai,
Tu hi meri mohabbat, tu hi mera iraada hai.

Rendu samvatsaraalu… oru jeevitham… one love, forever. ❤️