It was one of those sunny and breathy March days. I don’t remember what we did with our three kids but my Berhan and I managed to spend a romantic outing by ourselves.

We have our own favorite area down in DC where we always end up going and talking about our childhood and everything else except kids.

Yeah, whenever we have a date, we don’t allow each other to talk about our kids. Yes, talking about kids is politically incorrect topic on our date nights. You can imagine me how many times I go back to that forbidden topic because I spend most of my time with our kids.

So, on that day, we went to our favorite spot in DC and walked around until it was around 6pm and we went to our favorite restaurant for dinner. There were candle lights on every table and most guests were couples who were minding their own business, just like us.

While we were talking and laughing, enjoying our night out as if nobody’s business, I noticed a couple across our table staring at us, especially the woman. They were beautiful Caucasian couple, probably in their sixtieth. First, I thought I was imagining them staring at us but they kept on talking, smiling and looking at us.

So, I said to my Berhan, “My Love, I think those people are talking about us.”

He turned around and looked at them and said, “You are imagining things. Leave them alone. They are enjoying their dinner.”

I said, “Okay,” and tried to forget them.

But they didn’t stop staring at us. They came a little earlier than us. So, I saw them paying their bill. At that moment, the server set up our table to bring out our orders. My Berhan always washes his hands before he eats; it doesn’t matter if he is going to use fork and knife. That is his custom as a typical Ethiopian man. So, he got up and went to the restroom.

At that very moment, the couple got up and began their way out but instead of going out to the door, they came directly to me, smiling, the woman leading the way. I stared at her while I tried to smile back, not knowing what to expect.

She bent down to my ears and said, “Did he propose to you?”

Oh, my! They thought that we were unmarried couple on our special date.

Usually, my Berhan tends to hold my hands while talking to me and he has a good sense of humor which makes me laugh every time he brings up a weird topic to talk about. So I was laughing a lot and of course there must be kissing in the middle of all that. So the woman was 100% sure that my man was trying to convince me to marry him.

Anyways, I got up and said to her, “Oh, that is very nice of you but today is our tenth year wedding anniversary. And we have three lovely and beautiful kids.”

I wish you saw her face. Her jaw dropped and said, “Amazing! You guys are beautiful couple.” Her husband respectfully smiled to acknowledge his appreciation. And I said, “But thank you for your kindness to stop by to tell me that.”

Why did they think that we were unmarried couple dating? Doesn’t married couple express love and affection, forgetting and ignoring the outside world? I know I don’t blame them because looking around, that is what it looks like. But who said that love and affection is for unmarried couples who hardly know each other? Who said kissing, passionate touching and caressing are holy activities before marriage? Who said that PDA (Public Displayed Affection – as our daughter expresses it) is for unmarried couples? Maybe the culture teaches that, but not the Bible. ///