Laken & Husband

We didn’t have a movie moment. No grand gesture, no perfect proposal. Love, for us, was 5 years of load shedding dinners by candlelight.

It was him learning to make my late mom’s curry because grief stole my appetite, and me sitting through every Springboks game even though I still don’t understand the rules. It was surviving retrenchment, a broke December, and my anxiety, together.

He holds my hand in the dark when the world feels too loud. I iron his work shirts even though he says it doesn’t matter.130 years from now, I don’t need our names in history.

I just hope someone finds this and knows: real love isn’t fireworks. It’s choosing each other on the ordinary Tuesdays. That’s our legacy.