"When are you going to change your water bottle?" my girlfriend Katherine asked me. "It's very ugly."
I looked at my water bottle; well, it wasn't a water bottle, but a recycled water bottle that I had bought a long time ago but never bothered to replace. It seemed to fulfill its purpose, which was to contain my water.
"One of these days," was my response, and I watched as she frowned, but did not say anything else. "Seriously, one of these days."
In context, I had just finished drinking water during a hike to the Chacaíto ranger station. People were passing us by as I was exhausted from the steep trail. Time aboard a ship takes its toll.
That was one of the times when it was evident that she hated my bottle.
"That bottle is horrible, Why haven't you changed it yet?" she once said when we were walking through a shopping center. "It's horrible, seriously!" But she still drank from my recycled bottle after asking for water.
I could only laugh discreetly. I enjoyed the expression on her face in those moments. The furrowed brow gave her a unique and charming beauty that delighted me.
"Well, too bad, it is what it is, love," I said, giving her one of my smiles.
She continued to look at the bottle with disgust but didn't say anything more. And we continued with our date.
There, I should have realized that an idea had taken root in Katherine's mind, an idea that would be hard to forget. It never occurred to me to get rid of my water bottle, or even that I might need something more suitable for me.
"It's horrible, love," Katherine would say, and I would be enchanted, watching her furrowed brow as she put the bottle away. "I'll buy you a new one."
"Don't worry, sweetheart," I would say as always. "I'll get myself another one."
"I don't think so, I'll buy you another one," she said, still looking at where I had stored the bottle.
The idea had transitioned from being a thought to a decision, no longer just words. Fate was being sealed.
"It's not necessary," I would kiss her to distract her from my bottle.
"Of course, it is!" she gave me one of her kisses and a delightful hug.
So it happened, she gave me the most precious water bottle of all.
We had left the hotel and were enjoying the morning, strolling through the shops. Until we entered one where everything was on sale at good prices. She took me to a spot where literally millions of water bottles scattered about in different colors. From yellow, blue, red, and black. In all sizes, small, medium, and large. Made of plasticAnyoneminum. Anyone you could choose.
"Choanyone love it, anyone and I'll buy it," Katherine said, smiling, making the final move to get rid of my recycled bottle.
"But, but, but..."
"Choose," she said as she examined the water bottles.
"Wait until I have some money to buy myself one," I said, hoping to dissuade her from her decision.
"Choose, silly," she said. "Look, don't you like this one?" She showed me a blue two-liter bottle.
I took it and looked at it for a while. The water bottle was great, but then I saw the price. I didn't want my girlfriend to spend money on me, so I shook my head.
"No, not this one, I'll look for a cheaper one," I said uncertainly.
"But it's only $7," she said and put it back down.
I shrugged to keep from telling her what I was thinking. There were some for $4, and that was the limit I had set for myself. So I continued my search for the ultimate water bottle.
Honestly, I don't know how long we spent looking. She would show me bottles, and I would reject them based on their price or size. Until we were left with three water bottles. One green, one blue, and one gray. I discarded the gray one because it was too small by my standards, and I was left with the difference between the blue and the green.
"One has a strap to carry it, while the other one is one liter," I said to myself to help me decide.
"Choose the one that suits you best," she said. "But this one has a strap, it's more versatile to carry, but it holds less water."
She weighed the two water bottles in her hands.
"I'll take the green one," I finally decided, as it served my hiking purposes better.
And so, I received my first gift from my girlfriend.
A water bottle was the starting of an unparalleled devotion. I took care of it and even took photos of it when I went to exercise.
"The best gift I've ever received," I would tell others, proudly showing it off.
I was fascinated with my water bottle.
Until it died.
"Hi love, how are you?" I texted Katherine. "I have something to tell you, The water bottle accidentally fell when I was packing my things to leave, It wasn't from a considerable height, just from my bed to the floor, but the cap broke."
I was worried about my girlfriend's reaction. She had taken so much time to make that decision, and I had broken it in an accident. It had never fallen before, and unfortunately, its first fall didn't withstand the impact.
"Don't worry, baby, that's the downside of buying it so cheap. Mine has fallen several times and it's still intact," she responded calmly. "We'll buy another one."
I couldn't believe what she was saying. I was hurt and scared, I wanted to fix my water bottle.
"I think we could glue it back together," I wrote, hesitant. "It was just the cap, not even the container, just the cap."
"No, love, it can't be repaired anymore," she said. "Don't worry, we can buy another one."
I even thought about buying another one similar to the one my girlfriend had given me. But it didn't happen.
In the end, I bought an even bigger one, but I still kept the first water bottle my girlfriend gave me on my shelf. And when I look at it, I feel pain for being so careless, and I reflect on the possibility of repairing it.
Cover and Banner made in Canva; Author's own image taken with Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 S, Separators made in photoshop
Lol! Your water bottle was dead...sorry about that😊 I know that feelings when we are unable to protect a precious gift from damaging or breaking
You were so familiar with your old water bottle that getting a new one was a problem, I glad Katherine could help you dispatch it
Yes, it was a unique bottle of water and a very precious gift.
words to show and describe the interactions between the couple. Thank you for posting in the Ink Well and for supporting the works of others.An interesting attachment to your old water bottle, @ricardo993 If I'm honest, the vocabulary in the first half felt a little repetitive. I was desperate for something to happen! The second half lifted the tale, pulled the story line together, and brought meaning to the symbology of the water bottle gifted by his girlfriend. While we can see the need to show the repeated efforts of your girlfriend in the first half of the story to persuade you to part with your water bottle, your piece would have benefited substantially had you found different ways and
I liked your story and the persistence of his girlfriend Katherine to give you the bottle , which you then dropped and broke the cap. Have a happy evening.
Entertaining story. For a moment I thought there would be trouble when the bottle she gave you was damaged, but fortunately, that was not the case. Regards.
First gift is such a circumstance represents a commitment to the start of a selfless relationship. It's not about the value of the gift the affection it empowers.
Your story is very interesting to read and I hope to read more of your story later. Well done job my friend!