It has been thirteen years since I got myself a brand new phone. It died on me five years later and ever since, I lived with hand-me-downs and secondhand phones. 

I wouldn't say I am a technophobe. But let it be known that I am one of those people who is totally unconcerned about using a primitive phone. 

While everyone nowadays is carrying an iPhone 12 or a Samsung S21, I still have this oldie but goodie S7—which was actually just a test device from Jan's previous work. You could say that it's pretty used when I had it, and most probably, it was a refurbished unit. But it was awesome. It does the job. So I didn't mind. 

But lately, my phone has been acting up. The crashes are becoming frequent, the apps are getting unresponsive that I kept on sending inappropriate emojis by accident (god-forbid I do it to customers), and the phone itself is getting painfully slow.

I decided to use the money I earned from my latest blogging stint to buy a new one. I was eyeing for anything around Php10,000 because that's all I can afford. 

Yes, I am without a job right now and honestly, I could have easily asked the husband for it. But nope. I do not want to burden him because he is already paying for a lot of things and a phone is not something I badly need.

Then Rhett's enrollment fee came barging in. Nanlambot ako sa tuition. Haha! I was left with no choice. I gave up the idea of having a new phone, handed over a hefty down payment, and got immensely proud of myself for sending my incoming junior high school son to my alma mater, Ateneo. 

The new phone? It can wait. 

But I never thought Jan couldn't.

He surprised me with this one the other day: 

He gave this 6 days before my birthday. Excited na siyang ibigay eh. Haha

With all honesty, I am not the type you could easily sway with material things. But this got me super happy because it only means one thing: the husband pays attention to me—that even without telling him anything, he knows what I want, what I need, and even those what I think I don't need.

I still always think how I must be favored by the gods for having him. 

I do kiss him out of the blue, many times in a day. When he's working, when he's sleeping, when he's on his phone, or when he's doing nothing. It's my way of thanking him for all the little and big things he does. 

He has already done so much for me. I want to do something for him too. I long to buy him things that he wants too. But huhay. Katawan ko lang talaga ang kaya kong ibigay. Hahaha