Welcome to a very special episode of We Can Relate.
It’s so special because well, you’re so special. And the day is just so beautiful and peaceful and … special. Could there be anything better than spending such a special time with you on a day like this?
Annoyed yet? I am.
But that’s how this couple I know talks to each other. Yes – in front of actual people. It’s all so saccharine it makes me want to heave, or at the very least roll my eyes – which is what I do when they’re not looking.
It annoys me because I shouldn’t be hearing it – when they set off on these dialogues they’re always very wrapped up in each other. They’re not making general conversation with the others in the room. The dialogues can last five minutes – or 20. And one of the two often interrupts conversations the other is having to begin the you’re-so-special babble.
And, no, they're not newlyweds. They've been together for more than a decade -- and still it persists. And it annoys not only me but also others who witness it; I always have a partner in eye-rolling.
It all just makes me suspicious: Can things at that moment really be that special – and, long-term relationship-wise – that good, if you have to say it over and over? And, perhaps most annoying, in that really cloying I’m-talking-to-a-cute-widdle-kitten tone?
My money’s on no.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
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6 comments:
My wife and I have been married for ten years as of two weeks ago. We are kind of like the couple you are talking about, except we don't generally interrupt conversations to tell each other how special we are. I would guess that this couple really means it, especially if they are that into each other in public. It seems that you want this relationship to fail out of envy. On the other side of the coin, a strong society is built on stable marriages. I would applaud these two for making each other a priority and setting an example.
I'm with you, Alicia. It's one thing to talk like that in private but when you expose your friends to that, it shows a little too much self-absorption.
This sounds a bit like the "Soup Nazi" episode of Seinfeld where Jerry and his girlfriend would get all mushy and call each other "Schmoopy" in the presence of others, and everyone around turns nauseous.
Jerry eventually dumps her because the alternative was to lose his access to the Soup Nazi's soup.
Wow, you are cynical. Instead of suspecting something MUST be wrong at home because they are so in love in public, maybe you should give them credit for the fact that after years of marriage, they are still crazy about each other. If it bothers you so much, that is your problem, not theirs. You don't sound like much of a friend if you're rolling your eyes every time they turn around...
You lose.
Well, I can see everyone's perspective here. On the one hand, such PDA can make some people uncomfortable. And the whole interrupting of conversations is a bit much. But I'd rather see couples being nice to each other than verbal or physical abuse between two people in public, you know?
Also, I wonder if sometimes, people/couples act a certain way in public because of their insecurities? So maybe they're happily married, but maybe they feel like they need to "prove" it to other people. The relationship may be fine, but the idea of presenting themselves a certain way has to do with their own issues. Just a thought.
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