Ivan, Ivan, Ivan! I made 6 cents!

-Ivan, Ivan, Ivan! I made 6 cents!

You can see I love Sheldon Cooper, huh!

-Where, what?

-Somebody read two of my stories on Medium and I got paid 6 cents!

-No way! Which story?

Didn’t he ask just the right question? Right there I had yet another confirmation that he is the right one for me.

Before I answer I had to make another call.

I was beside myself with excitement, I picked up my phone and called — from Australia to Romania. While Ivan is watching me expectantly, I speak with my friend. She is an artist, a very good one. I write and she paints and we often ask each other — do you sell anything? What is wrong with us? There you are, I had to call her, to tell her that I am still worth it — a whole of 6 cents.

-Cristina! Cristina! Cristina! I made 6 cents on a writers’ forum for a couple of stories.

-Oh, wow! What a success! Congratulations!

-It’s just 6 cents.

-Yes, but it’s a start! Well done and wish you more cents to come!

I finish the call, but Ivan is not finished. He is looking at me and he asks again.

-Which story was it?

-The story The Truth Behind the Fear!

-Ah, that’s a good one! Right, Sammie?

He asks our mutt which looked completely disturbed, at first by my animated shouts and now by Ivan’s question. Ivan is excited and his arms are waving trying to create a picture for the ever-cautious Sammie. That’s your story Sammie, you wild mutt! Those guys on Medium have great taste I can tell you that. What was the other story?

-The one with the ‘power of pain.

-Oh, yes.

His eyes are sad remembering our friend. Grieving, I wrote a story about him. He passed away on a different continent, and we couldn’t be there for his family or say goodbye.

I stare at the screen with a huge grin that starts hurting my cheeks. I keep repeating myself.

-I can’t believe it! I made 6 cents!

-Well done sweetheart! You can put those towards the mortgage.

This is my man, happy with my big victory because he knows is not about the money, is about recognition, about being heard.

Two weeks later, Ivan still talks to me about the excitement of the 6 cents, and he is so enthusiastic about my new Medium adventure that my writing now reaches a new level of sharing.

I read once that sharing can happen on three levels: sharing thoughts, sharing emotions, and sharing leads. We went through them.

Ever since I spent hours writing every day and he is OK with that. This is the only thing that we can both think about. My obsession is his obsession.

My man is happy with me for 6 cents and I agree with him that we shall put them against the mortgage.

Ever since he started helping more in the kitchen and around the house, so I have more free time to devote to my writing. He has always been supportive and willing to lend a hand, always asking what he can do to allow me to spend hours and hours on my books and stories.

For my Medium articles, I never tell him beforehand what the story or the article is about, I want to hear his words and feel his first reaction. He is my first reader, and I can see it on his face — the sadness, the moist eyes, the hmm, huh, oohs that come out with the lines.

We are definitely sharing leads too.

He comes up with ideas of what topics I can approach, and what story to say.

He is asking me every day — what do you write about today?

Ivan is my happy place and I know this is not the last time I will write about him. He can be funny, and he makes me laugh, and I thought — why not talk about happy things too?

We should find stories in happy moments, not just in sad ones like lost friends, abuse, sadness, depression, and addiction.

So, this is my today happy story.