My dream job would be to work in the field of interior design. I don't like white walls. My dining room is red, my bedroom is blue and chocolate brown, my kitchen is yellow. Well, you get the idea. My husband's office is was white. Until my husband deployed, his office was the only room in the entire house that wasn't painted, and it stuck out like a sore thumb. It was also the room where all of the misfit furniture took residence. I wanted to paint and improve that room from the time we purchased our house, two years before my husband left. He wouldn't budge.
Nah, it's fine
Leave it alone
Still, I tried. Still, I failed.
Looking at the bright side of deployment orders, I said to myself, "now I can get my hands on that office......"
Knowing me pretty well, before he left, my husband bent over and whispered in my ear, "don't touch my office."
I smiled and winked at him. I'm sure he noted what I didn't say, "I won't, I promise."
He knew better.
The first order of business was to transform that blah, messy room. So, I set about the task of organizing it (I deserve a medal for that), prepping it, painting it, furnishing it and having new flooring installed.
I spent a lot of time on that room, and encountered a lot of headaches with contractors over the new flooring. The before and after pictures were amazing. I think HGTV would approve. I was so proud of that room, and I knew my husband was going to love it. Sometimes we have ideas which are met with resistance, but our spouses are usually pleased with the outcome. I knew this would be one of those times.
I was going to surprise my husband with his chic new office when he came home. However, I couldn't stand to wait. I wanted him to see the transformation and, thanks to modern technology, he would be able to see his room. I snapped photos from various angles and clicked the send button.
My husband is from Boston. He's a die hard Red Sox/New England Patriots fan. Over the years, he's collected and framed photos of some of the famous moments in New England sports history. One classic photo is that of Babe Ruth in a Red Sox uniform. For those unfamiliar with Red Sox history, Babe Ruth played for a successful Red Sox team until he was sold to the New York Yankees, which only intensified the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry, which continues to this day. After the transaction, the Red Sox never won another World Series Championship (until 2004), which prompted the slogan, "Curse of the Bambino."
My husband had removed the Babe Ruth photo from his office wall some time back. Buying into the superstition of "the curse", he refused to place it back on the wall. Instead, it was relegated to a corner, facing the wall. All of the other photos were hung perfectly on the wall, but there was a void where the Babe Ruth photo used to hang. Of course, when I "redecorated" the office, I returned the photo to its proper place.
My husband received the photos and shortly afterwards, the phone rings.
I had a suspicion it was my husband. I knew he would be happy with his newly redecorated, newly refurnished, masculine, organized office.
Hello
Hi baby. Is that the Babe Ruth photo on the wall?
Um, yeah. Do you like....
Please take it off the wall, now
Wha?....
Take Babe off the wall, please
Are you serious?
Yep
What about the office?
Please walk down and remove the picture
Now?
Um hum
Okay, I've lived with this man for twelve years, I know how passionate he is about his sports teams, but this was just plain ridiculous. Nevertheless, I did it.
It's done
It's down?
It's down
Okay, thanks
I'm telling you, that office underwent an amazing transformation. Really, it did. Somehow, my husband was able to overlook all the wonderful new additions and focus like a laser beam on that one unassuming photo. When our phone call ended, I laughed and said to my dog, "did that conversation just take place?"
The good news is that I was finally able to do away with those white walls, and my husband now has an office which he truly loves. Secretly, I think he's kicking himself for not letting me work some magic sooner. As for the Babe Ruth photo, it's still sitting on the floor, facing the wall. Apparently, Babe continues to be untrustworthy....
Some good things, things more important than decorating, did result from my husband's deployment. I certainly could have done without a deployment, but if it had to happen, I needed to search for the upsides. Losing white walls and giving my husband an inviting space to work when he returned was just one of the upsides for me. What's your upside to deployment?
