The King's Chair, My Father-in-Law, and My Husband
At my husband's family home, there is a chair known as the "King's Chair."
It's nothing special; it's just the chair my father-in-law sits in.
In my husband's family, my father-in-law is the leader.
My father-in-law is a man of few words and is quite patriarchal.
However, I gradually came to realize that he is actually a very good person.
He cherishes my mother-in-law deeply.
Since I cannot drive, I relied on my mother-in-law to take me to my prenatal checkups and to drive me and my daughter to the pediatrician.
My husband works on weekdays and every other Saturday, so I couldn't ask him for those rides, which is why I relied on my mother-in-law.
One time, I made a mistake and asked my husband for a ride when he wasn't working. My sister-in-law told me, "If my father finds out, he'll get angry at you and my brother for asking him," and I realized my mistake in a panic.
But in reality, my father-in-law has never really gotten angry at me. I was very surprised by how quiet he is, but he is a truly wonderful person. Sometimes, when he suddenly smiles, his expression is incredibly cute.
When I started giving him Father's Day gifts after we got married, he was so happy—having never really received anything from my husband or sister-in-law before—that he called me, sounding shy, to thank me.
I felt that his words were wrapped in the warmth of affection.
My father-in-law is patriarchal, and everyone in the family follows his lead.
But it is because he is the one in charge that the family maintains its balance.
I realized some time after we were married that my husband, his son, admires that patriarchal style of his father.
Sometimes, he would intentionally say "I don't know" to me, which is his father's catchphrase.
But I didn't really get it, and I was just left thinking, "...?"
After all, he doesn't need to act like a patriarch; I already love him.
He doesn't need to do things like that; I love him just as he is.
I cherish him as the father of our daughter.
Until my husband's clumsy and stubborn heart softens and melts,
I intend to write about my love for him on my blog every day.
I truly cherish my husband.