The Happiest Interview
We were sitting on the couch in the room watching the movie Titanic. It was our favorite, and had seen it more than a few times. When it ended, we still stayed there on the couch feeling the reverberation from the movie. We both took a deep breath, and by the time the aftertaste faded away, I came to wonder about her. I asked, "How were you when you were young?" She looked at me for a while and soon smiled sweetly. "My childhood?" She was lost in thought for a moment, and after a while she broke the silence.
As a child I was very busy. I had a vivid imagination, and I was always living in some kind of dream. For example, I wanted to be the little mermaid when I grew up, and during our summer swimming lessons I imagined that I was a beautiful mermaid on some adventure. I also wanted to be someone very beautiful and graceful, elegant. Someone that everyone liked and admired. Someone who was very capable to doing many things, and wasn't told that I couldn't do something. As I grew older I became a bit of a tomboy because I wanted to prove I could handle things. But my parents and other family members still treated me like a stupid kid, and a lot of time was spent focusing and perfecting my flaws.
I looked at her, and smiled as I imagined her childhood. "Can you tell me more about your family?" She closed eyes for a while and then had a smile playing about her lips. "My family... " she started to say, and paused. But then she started, and at length she spoke about them.
Specifically about my family members? Hm, my sister (who is younger than me) lied all the time. There were no reasons for her to lie, and she just would. And she always instigated fights, and would purposefully try to outsmart me and almost always succeeded. My mother had some post-partum depression, and the antidepressants made her gain a lot of weight, thus increasing her depression. So I always remember her being very tired and even sad. She often wanted to be left alone, so my sister and I always entertained ourselves -- either outdoors during the summer, or in the house during the winter. My father really wasn't present much when we were little. He worked all the time because he was very good at what he did. He was a person in high demand for whatever issues arose, but issues arose all the time -- even during family vacations. And whenever he wasn't working he was quite tired.
I was carefully listening to her. She paused for a while, drank some water, and kept going. I then asked her: "What is the most important event in your life?" She seemed a little surprised by the questions, and took a deep breath in, paused to think, and exhaled. Her brow furrowed, thinking, and then the creases flattened and a thoughtful smile appeared. She started: "The event that so drastically changed my life was the day I met the man I want to marry." When I heard her answer in this way, I at first started a bit but found myself uncontrollably smiling and my cheeks burning. I wondered if it was me she was thinking of, and when I looked over at her our eyes met and I knew that it was me. She continued:
When we first met, it was a very exciting time, not because I knew you were the one I wanted marry -- I had not the slightest clue that we would want to get married -- but because you are such a wonderful person and there was something in our personalities that just clicked. Never before have I met someone who was so similar to myself and who knew what I felt without my ever having to mention a word; our thoughts were one in the same. And this fondness and connection has only grown stronger over time. You balance me when I'm stressed out with work, or upset about an occurrence. And I do the same for you in similar circumstances. For a long time we have had to be separated by oceans and countries, but the affection we have for each other has stayed strong and only gotten stronger. When I met you, things in my life started falling into place. For the longest time I had no idea who I was and wanted to be, or where I would go. But then you just came right into my life, and the puzzle pieces just started to come together. I figured out I wanted to be a teacher, and fought and worked like mad to get there. And now that I have achieved that and I am ready to go out into the world, I know that I want my world to be with you.
I could not take my eyes away from her. My face burned and the smile I had on my face felt like it went from ear to ear. She took my hand and kissed it and gave it a squeeze. "Do you want some cookies?" she asked. I nodded, and she went into the kitchen a brought back a small plate of them. "Here," she said. "This is your favorite." I took it and had a bite. "Thank you! I will go get some milk in the fridge. Do you want some?" I asked. She responded: "Sure!" So I got up and grabbed the milk from the fridge, two cups, and came back to the couch. "Now, this is the last. What are some things that you strongly believe in and find important?" She pondered upon the question for a while. "Hmm," she said.
I strongly believe in doing the best you can. Which I guess means giving people chances and opportunities, helping out whenever you can, and being honest. I believe in family… . I believe in a sense of humor… . Hmm, and I believe in love, and that it's one of the most powerful forces out there. Because it changes you, scares you, humbles you, and even at times can make you to do such desperate things. But I believe a life without love is no life at all, and that love should be present in all aspects of life -- in your job, your family, your grocery shopping, your laundry, and your cooking. And I think that love is the factor that determines just how often we do the other things, such as the giving of second chances and opportunities, the helping out, and the being honest. I think that if we can find the love in any situation, we are perfectly capable of doing those things, and being happier.
She thoughtfully cocked her head, and shrugged her shoulders. I expressed my gratitude to her for her sincere answers. "Thank you for answering my questions," I said. She said, "Of course, any time. I always love to talk with you." We stood up and stretched ourselves with a yawn. "Shall we go for a walk? The weather is pretty nice today." She said, "Oh, yea! It is a nice day, let's go!" And so up and out we went, bounding for our shoes and the door for a nice stroll in the park, hand in hand.
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