| Satire Fiction posted March 17, 2023 | Chapters: |
...6 7 -8- 9 
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A perspective on our modern thoughts on marriage and committ
A chapter in the book In Real Time
Talking About Getting Married
by estory
Two young women order a couple fo frappacinos at Starbuck's. They're both good looking, you know; and they look like they have an idea that they are good looking. I'm guessing they are in their mid twenties. The taller one, the thinner one, the prettier one, is in a sleeveless tube top with designer jeans. She has a belly button ring with a rhinestone in it. The shorter one, the chubbier one, is in a pastel blouse and capris. She is brighter, maybe, more cheerful, with a warmer smile. The taller one has more of a rogueish smile. A little more adventurous. While they are waiting for their drinks they notice me standing by the counter waiting for my drink. The taller one, the prettier one, smiles at me. Then they carry their drinks outside and onto the patio.
The patio overlooks the city of Raleigh. you can see the skyscrapers of the big banks clustered around downtown, and just across the street you can see the blocks of shops and the surrounding apartments that make up Cameron Village. The two girls sit down in two metal patio chairs under a sun shade and set their drinks down on the coffee table between them. They can see the boys with their dates sitting outside the Flying Bisquit, waiting for the food they have ordered. They can see the college girls taking their shopping carts into Harris Teeter. They can see kids going into the Cheshire Cat to find things to decorate their dorm rooms with. They can see girls going into the boutiques to find the latests things. On the other side of Cameron Village, across from the liquor store, is a small, field stone church on a corner.
"So I ran into Chelsea the other day, you know," the one says to the other. The taller, prettier one.
"You don't say," the other one, the shorter one, says. "I haven't seen her in ages. Since college, I think, now that I think of it."
"Well I ran into her the other day, in Harris Teeter. She still looks the same."
"Did she?"
"I recognized her right away."
"So did you talk to her? What's she doing?"
"She told me she got laid off last spring, when the pandemic hit."
"That makes sense."
"Yeah. She says she went back to school, to get her masters."
"Makes sense."
"Yeah. So she's working on that, and she says she landed an internship with one of those biotech companies in Research Triangle Park."
"Well, that's what she was always talking about doing."
"Yeah. But that's not the real big news."
"What? What is it?"
"She's getting married."
"No! Is she?"
"Yeah. Her and Matt."
"So they're still together? But I can see that."
"Yeah, they've been together for a while. Since high school."
"Did she ever see anyone else? I don't think she ever dated anyone else."
"I don't think so. Not as far as I know, anyway."
"Well, I'm surprised, but not surprised, you know? She just graduated a couple of years ago. She's still young. But she was like that, I think."
"I don't know. I would want to see some other people, myself. I mean, how does she know? She's only been with this one guy. It's like, for the rest of your life, you know?"
"Does she have a date set?"
"Next year. Next spring. But still."
"That is big news."
"I was surprised she didn't tell me sooner. I mean we were pretty close for a while."
"Right? That is strange."
"So I said to her, I wouldn't mind going, you know?"
"Sure. So what did she say?"
"She said they had to limit the guest list to just immediate family, because of covid."
"Wow."
"So then I said, I wouldn't mind going to the service, if I couldn't go to the reception."
"So what did she say?"
"She said they're only inviting family and a few close friends. Can you believe it? She's only having a maid of honor and one bridesmaid."
"Who is it?"
"Taylor."
"That makes sense."
"Really. But I would have waited, you know? I mean, it's the biggest party of your life. You want to do it right."
"Well, I've always thought of it as the wedding, and then the party."
"I'd want to do it right."
"I think alot depends on what your parents were like. What kind of marraige and life your parents had."
"Yeah, now that you mention it. It does seem like that."
"I mean, her parents stayed together. They had a church wedding, she told me."
"Yeah, I could see that, then. Of course, my parents divorced when I was little."
"I remember you telling me."
"I was around eight. So I went through all of that. The fights, the reconciliations, the seperation. It's tough when you're little, you know?"
"It must be."
"For a while, I only saw my dad on the weekends. Then he moved. I haven't seen him since."
"That's sad. I think that's sad. And it's hard when you're a kid."
"Yeah. So I don't know. I feel like taking my time about it myself, you know?"
"Sure. Of course. I totally get that. Are you still seeing Jeff?"
"Not since a couple of months."
"Oh. I didn't know that you guys broke up. What happened?"
"Well, things weren't working out. We had a lot of arguments. Mostly about stupid stuff."
"He seemed like a nice guy."
"He is a nice guy. It's just...I don't know. We weren't on the same page. But I'm OK with it, I really am. I'm not in a rush. There's some things I want to do first anyway. And I want to be sure about it. I mean, it's the rest of your life, know what I mean?"
"Well I've been living with Justin for the last couple of months."
"Oh. I didn't know you guys were living together."
"Oh yeah. He was splitting a two bedroom apartment with one of his cousins, in Cary. The cousin was supposed to move out so I could move in, but then the pandemic hit, and his cousin lost his job so he couldn't move out right away."
"Oh no!"
"Yeah. That was...weird. But I didn't make a big deal about it; you know? I tried to understand. I mean, the guy worked in a bar, so what was he going to do, you know? So I put up with it for a couple of months."
"So then he moved out?"
"The cousin? Yeah. He ended up going back home, which sucked for him, but it was so great for us."
"Oh, I'm happy for you."
"It was a big improvement in our relationship. We really took itto the next level. I mean, we've been seeing each other for a while, you know, so I thought it was time for the next step. But then he actually had the talk with me."
"The talk?"
"Oh yeah. He told me he was ready to get married. Any time I was ready. All I had to do was say something."
"So what did you say?"
"I told him I would think about it. I think I'm ready for living together, you know? But I just don't know about having kids yet. He wants to have kids. I'm just not ready for all that yet, I think."
"I hear you. It's a big committment."
"It's like, the rest of your life, you know? And I just don't know. There's so much I want to do too...I want to travel. I want to enjoy life. Like, just the two of us."
"Oh I understand. I feel the same way. I'm not even thinking about having kids."
"And I guess that comes from your parents too, you know?"
"Oh I remember my mom. She was a single mom, and she had to make all those sacrifices for us. She had to give up her education, her carreer. I deffinitely felt that."
"You think so?"
"Oh I know so. She didn't really say anything, but you could feel it, sometimes. Sometimes you could see it in her face, like she wished she were somewhere else."
"That's sad."
"Yeah. And I don't want that to be me. I don't want to have regrets. I want to live my life first. And be sure about it."
"Sure. And I kind of feel the same way. I just hope it doesn't spoil things for us. Because Justin wants to have kids."
"I remember you saying."
"Yeah. He comes from a big family. Two brothers and a sister. And his parents have been together for ever."
"Well that's great for him."
The shorter one in the pastel blouse and capris takes a sip from her drink and puts it back down on the table. "So what are you going to do?" she asks the prettier one.
"Oh I'm taking it slow. I'm actually enjoying being single again."
"Yeah. There's some good things about it. It's nice not belonging to somebody. To have that freedom."
"Well, Jeff used to call me, you know, asking me where I was, and what I was doing."
"Oh no!"
"Oh yea. Asking me if I was with someone."
"Oh no, no, no, no."
"So you see why I ended it?"
"Oh yeah. You don't need that."
"So it's nice to be single again, you know?"
"Sure."
The pretty girl picks up her drink. She looks at me over her friend's shoulder. Then she looks back at her friend. "So what are you doing later?"
"Nothing special. Justin and I are going to watch an old movie"
"Oh that's cute. What are you watching?"
"It's an old movie with Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. It's called Bringing Up Baby. I like that stuff. Old, romantic movies."
"I've never heard of it."
The short, chubby one finishes her drink. She leans forward and grabs her purse. "So what are you doing?"
"I'm going down to Whiskey Kitchen."
"Oh. I miss those days. Is the same crowd still down there?"
"Some of them."
"Me and Justin have to stop down there some time. For old time's sake. Maybe we'll see you down there."
"Maybe."
"Well it was nice talking to you."
"Same here."
The girls stand up. The pretty one looks over her friend's shoulder and smiles at me.
Two young women order a couple fo frappacinos at Starbuck's. They're both good looking, you know; and they look like they have an idea that they are good looking. I'm guessing they are in their mid twenties. The taller one, the thinner one, the prettier one, is in a sleeveless tube top with designer jeans. She has a belly button ring with a rhinestone in it. The shorter one, the chubbier one, is in a pastel blouse and capris. She is brighter, maybe, more cheerful, with a warmer smile. The taller one has more of a rogueish smile. A little more adventurous. While they are waiting for their drinks they notice me standing by the counter waiting for my drink. The taller one, the prettier one, smiles at me. Then they carry their drinks outside and onto the patio.
The patio overlooks the city of Raleigh. you can see the skyscrapers of the big banks clustered around downtown, and just across the street you can see the blocks of shops and the surrounding apartments that make up Cameron Village. The two girls sit down in two metal patio chairs under a sun shade and set their drinks down on the coffee table between them. They can see the boys with their dates sitting outside the Flying Bisquit, waiting for the food they have ordered. They can see the college girls taking their shopping carts into Harris Teeter. They can see kids going into the Cheshire Cat to find things to decorate their dorm rooms with. They can see girls going into the boutiques to find the latests things. On the other side of Cameron Village, across from the liquor store, is a small, field stone church on a corner.
"So I ran into Chelsea the other day, you know," the one says to the other. The taller, prettier one.
"You don't say," the other one, the shorter one, says. "I haven't seen her in ages. Since college, I think, now that I think of it."
"Well I ran into her the other day, in Harris Teeter. She still looks the same."
"Did she?"
"I recognized her right away."
"So did you talk to her? What's she doing?"
"She told me she got laid off last spring, when the pandemic hit."
"That makes sense."
"Yeah. She says she went back to school, to get her masters."
"Makes sense."
"Yeah. So she's working on that, and she says she landed an internship with one of those biotech companies in Research Triangle Park."
"Well, that's what she was always talking about doing."
"Yeah. But that's not the real big news."
"What? What is it?"
"She's getting married."
"No! Is she?"
"Yeah. Her and Matt."
"So they're still together? But I can see that."
"Yeah, they've been together for a while. Since high school."
"Did she ever see anyone else? I don't think she ever dated anyone else."
"I don't think so. Not as far as I know, anyway."
"Well, I'm surprised, but not surprised, you know? She just graduated a couple of years ago. She's still young. But she was like that, I think."
"I don't know. I would want to see some other people, myself. I mean, how does she know? She's only been with this one guy. It's like, for the rest of your life, you know?"
"Does she have a date set?"
"Next year. Next spring. But still."
"That is big news."
"I was surprised she didn't tell me sooner. I mean we were pretty close for a while."
"Right? That is strange."
"So I said to her, I wouldn't mind going, you know?"
"Sure. So what did she say?"
"She said they had to limit the guest list to just immediate family, because of covid."
"Wow."
"So then I said, I wouldn't mind going to the service, if I couldn't go to the reception."
"So what did she say?"
"She said they're only inviting family and a few close friends. Can you believe it? She's only having a maid of honor and one bridesmaid."
"Who is it?"
"Taylor."
"That makes sense."
"Really. But I would have waited, you know? I mean, it's the biggest party of your life. You want to do it right."
"Well, I've always thought of it as the wedding, and then the party."
"I'd want to do it right."
"I think alot depends on what your parents were like. What kind of marraige and life your parents had."
"Yeah, now that you mention it. It does seem like that."
"I mean, her parents stayed together. They had a church wedding, she told me."
"Yeah, I could see that, then. Of course, my parents divorced when I was little."
"I remember you telling me."
"I was around eight. So I went through all of that. The fights, the reconciliations, the seperation. It's tough when you're little, you know?"
"It must be."
"For a while, I only saw my dad on the weekends. Then he moved. I haven't seen him since."
"That's sad. I think that's sad. And it's hard when you're a kid."
"Yeah. So I don't know. I feel like taking my time about it myself, you know?"
"Sure. Of course. I totally get that. Are you still seeing Jeff?"
"Not since a couple of months."
"Oh. I didn't know that you guys broke up. What happened?"
"Well, things weren't working out. We had a lot of arguments. Mostly about stupid stuff."
"He seemed like a nice guy."
"He is a nice guy. It's just...I don't know. We weren't on the same page. But I'm OK with it, I really am. I'm not in a rush. There's some things I want to do first anyway. And I want to be sure about it. I mean, it's the rest of your life, know what I mean?"
"Well I've been living with Justin for the last couple of months."
"Oh. I didn't know you guys were living together."
"Oh yeah. He was splitting a two bedroom apartment with one of his cousins, in Cary. The cousin was supposed to move out so I could move in, but then the pandemic hit, and his cousin lost his job so he couldn't move out right away."
"Oh no!"
"Yeah. That was...weird. But I didn't make a big deal about it; you know? I tried to understand. I mean, the guy worked in a bar, so what was he going to do, you know? So I put up with it for a couple of months."
"So then he moved out?"
"The cousin? Yeah. He ended up going back home, which sucked for him, but it was so great for us."
"Oh, I'm happy for you."
"It was a big improvement in our relationship. We really took itto the next level. I mean, we've been seeing each other for a while, you know, so I thought it was time for the next step. But then he actually had the talk with me."
"The talk?"
"Oh yeah. He told me he was ready to get married. Any time I was ready. All I had to do was say something."
"So what did you say?"
"I told him I would think about it. I think I'm ready for living together, you know? But I just don't know about having kids yet. He wants to have kids. I'm just not ready for all that yet, I think."
"I hear you. It's a big committment."
"It's like, the rest of your life, you know? And I just don't know. There's so much I want to do too...I want to travel. I want to enjoy life. Like, just the two of us."
"Oh I understand. I feel the same way. I'm not even thinking about having kids."
"And I guess that comes from your parents too, you know?"
"Oh I remember my mom. She was a single mom, and she had to make all those sacrifices for us. She had to give up her education, her carreer. I deffinitely felt that."
"You think so?"
"Oh I know so. She didn't really say anything, but you could feel it, sometimes. Sometimes you could see it in her face, like she wished she were somewhere else."
"That's sad."
"Yeah. And I don't want that to be me. I don't want to have regrets. I want to live my life first. And be sure about it."
"Sure. And I kind of feel the same way. I just hope it doesn't spoil things for us. Because Justin wants to have kids."
"I remember you saying."
"Yeah. He comes from a big family. Two brothers and a sister. And his parents have been together for ever."
"Well that's great for him."
The shorter one in the pastel blouse and capris takes a sip from her drink and puts it back down on the table. "So what are you going to do?" she asks the prettier one.
"Oh I'm taking it slow. I'm actually enjoying being single again."
"Yeah. There's some good things about it. It's nice not belonging to somebody. To have that freedom."
"Well, Jeff used to call me, you know, asking me where I was, and what I was doing."
"Oh no!"
"Oh yea. Asking me if I was with someone."
"Oh no, no, no, no."
"So you see why I ended it?"
"Oh yeah. You don't need that."
"So it's nice to be single again, you know?"
"Sure."
The pretty girl picks up her drink. She looks at me over her friend's shoulder. Then she looks back at her friend. "So what are you doing later?"
"Nothing special. Justin and I are going to watch an old movie"
"Oh that's cute. What are you watching?"
"It's an old movie with Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. It's called Bringing Up Baby. I like that stuff. Old, romantic movies."
"I've never heard of it."
The short, chubby one finishes her drink. She leans forward and grabs her purse. "So what are you doing?"
"I'm going down to Whiskey Kitchen."
"Oh. I miss those days. Is the same crowd still down there?"
"Some of them."
"Me and Justin have to stop down there some time. For old time's sake. Maybe we'll see you down there."
"Maybe."
"Well it was nice talking to you."
"Same here."
The girls stand up. The pretty one looks over her friend's shoulder and smiles at me.
This conversation between two college friends articulates many contemporary attitudes towards relationships and marriage. If we listen between the lines, we can see the reluctance of women today to make commitments, that feeling of not wanting to belong to someone else, that is at the heart of marriage, as well as the desire to have kids and make that commitment to them that is really what families are all about. There's also the strong influence of past family experience that shapes our attitudes, whether you come from a broken home or not, Whether your marriage is about a party or the commitment itself. One of these girls seems on the verge of making this big lifetime commitment, one seems ready to swing. And we also see something of how men judge women in the attitude of the male narrator here. He is obviously attracted to one of these girls himself. Structurally, this story borrows from the prose of Raymond Carver and his stripped down, minimalistic style, in a tight focus on the dialogue and its rather terse delivery. There is a mimimum of landscape here; one thing you can notice is the brief reference to the church at the beginning of the narrative. It's symbolism is almost like an after thought here, almost lost in the background. estory
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