1. He cooked me goulash involving beets. We listened to NPR and didn’t talk for over an hour. Calm cave-like silence broken only by the wash of cold rain on the window.
2. “God, that’s so weird. I just mentioned that song to you – and now it’s playing on the radio! Isn’t that so weird??” “Not weird at all. Sheer coincidence.”
3. We went to the Ear Inn, drank beer, and played hangman on the white-paper tablecloths. He drew me a cartoon explaining the Masons’ journey across the sea. He drew little boats on sharp little waves. Irish musicians played jigs in the corner.
4. He rolled his eyes when I tripped on a curb. I got dressed up for Easter and it confused him. When I cut peppers for dinner, he would intervene and show me how to do it.
5. I lay in a hot bath, face puffy from crying. He sat on the toilet seat and read out loud to me from Peter Manso’s sneering biography of Marlon Brando. He got angry when I looked both ways before crossing an empty street. “Sheila, take risks, goddammit. Your caution is holding you back.” I yelled, “Leave me ALONE.” Then we went and had Ben & Jerry’s. Years later, after no contact for 3 years, out of the blue he left a message on my answering machine. “I just came out of a John Cassavetes movie. Why aren’t you here with me. Will you marry me? Call me back with your answer.” Click.
6. He used to be a Chippendale’s dancer. On our first date, he did an imitation of one of his routines. He said on his first day, the dance captain watched his work and said, “Okay. I think we need a little less Liza.” I nearly fell over laughing.
7. He took a nap during his brother’s wedding reception. I knew no one else there. I barely knew him. I went up to see how he was doing. He lay on a couch in his tuxedo. He was tall, black-haired, green-eyed, gorgeous Italian. The party raged downstairs. I put my hand on his forehead. His skin was burning hot.
8. He walked me back to Ranelagh, where the Edwardian black iron gates gleamed in the rain. It was my birthday. We spent the night in a disco, talking about Sweden, police states, and the EU. We turned onto my block, and he said, “Aw, aren’t these gates lovely?” I said, “They remind me of ‘The Dead’.” He stopped in his tracks, and said, “You. You understand us.”
9. We walked through the bird sanctuary during a snowstorm. His cheeks glowed with cold. We held hands as we walked through icy patches. We leaned against a wooden fence, staring out into the white drifts. The next day in school, he acted as though none of it had happened.
10. We lay on our backs on the motel room bed. The sunset light was so molten-gold it was like liquid amber. We didn’t speak or touch. “Doesn’t this whole thing feel like a dream?” he said.
Love the whole idea of this post. It has me composing similar paragraphs about my own life–How do you sum up complex, multi-faceted relationships in a few sentences, and still capture the essence? AND, do justice to the other person. No matter the outcome, or present circumstances, once there was connection. How to be fair to that, yet succinct–and interesting.
DBW – it was fun. I wanted to keep going. I might add to it as I think of more.
Oh and I would say that some of these are probably not fair at all. #4 is definitely not “fair” – but that’s my memory, and what I am left with.
I wonder if the boys I’m writing about would be able to recognize themselves in this post. Kind of a multiple-choice quiz-type thing. “Which one is YOU??”
Oh, I would think any reasonable man would recognize himself in those vignettes–even if unflattering. At least some of us are aware of our shortcomings—or, I guess I should say failings. LOL.
ha! Yes, that’s true.
I’m pretty sure dude in #2 could not pick himself out, though. Even though he knew me the best, probably. But I mean – who remembers such conversations word for word?? I do, apparently! I even remember where we were when that exchange occurred – and it was 5 million years ago. I’m a freak like that. But even in that moment, I thought: Okay. Right there? That exchange? That is us. I cannot explain it – but that is us!
I’ll do some more. It was kind of cleansing, actually.
You should try it, DBW! Just on your own, of course – in a notebook. Might be interesting!
I tied one end of the rope to the crushed fender and the other to the electric pole. She gave me a doubtful look. “Is that going to work?” she asked. “Trust me,” I said. She looked away, smiling a little. “Trust me, he says.”
Megan adds to the game:
Relationships in a paragraph. I find these fascinating for some reason. Miniatures. Gold nuggets at the bottom of a sieve. Here’s mine….
Bernard – wonderful!!
She routinely told waitstaff it was my birthday when it wasn’t. She did this at the Dunkin Donuts one day as we headed towards campus for rehearsal. They gave us free donuts.
Bren – ha!! I get the whole thing in one paragraph.
She always had a drink nearby. Everything about those eight months involves some kind of a drunken haze. The hangover never started until we tried to talk.
(OK. I’m not so good at this).
I learned of your blog from dameonline.net and i have to say thanks for the idea. You really know how to capture a person in only a few lines.
I absolutely love this post! I understand that some people may question the feasibility of encapsulating an entire relationship in one paragraph. I don’t think that’s in question… it’s just not doable. And it’s beside the point. This feels to me more like a very personal exercise and one that sparks the reader’s interest, curiosity and imagination. It makes one wonder what it was about each of those moments that made their impact so enduring.
“Go Ask Sheila”
Illegal activities will be described in the following post (from many many years ago – relax!). Don’t read on if you have a problem with that….