one day Gerry asks Fiona out to a movie. she accepts and they have a pretty good time. a few nights later, he asks her out to dinner and again they enjoy themselves. they continue to see each other regularly and after awhile neither of them is seeing anyone else
and then one evening when they’re driving home, a thought occurs to Fiona and without really thinking she says it out loud: 'do you realize that as of tonight, we've been seeing each other for exactly six months?'
and there is silence in the car
to Fiona it seems like a very loud silence
she thinks to herself:
sheesh, I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. maybe he's been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I’m trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn't want, or isn't sure of
and Gerry is thinking:
gosh. six months
and Fiona is thinking:
but hey, I’m not sure I want this kind of relationship either. sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I’d have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily toward…I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we headed toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?
And Gerry is thinking:
So…that means it was…lets see…it was February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealers which means…let me check the odometer…whoa! I am way overdue on an oil change here
And Fiona is thinking:
He’s upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I’m reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment. Maybe he has sensed-even before I sensed it-that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that’s it. That’s why he’s so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He’s afraid of being rejected
And Gerry is thinking:
And I’m gonna have them take a look at the transmission again. I don’t care what those morons say; it’s still not working right. And they better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? Its 86 degrees out and this thing is shifting like a damn dump truck-and I paid those incompetent thieves $800
And Fiona is thinking:
He’s angry. And I don’t blame him-I’d be angry too. I feel so guilty putting him through this, but I can’t help the way I feel. I’m just not sure
And Gerry is thinking:
They’ll probably say it’s only a 90 day warranty. That’s exactly what they’re gonna say, those slimebags
And Fiona is thinking:
Maybe I’m just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I’m sitting next to a perfectly good person. A person I enjoy being with, a person I truly care about. A person who is in pain because of my romantic fantasy
And Gerry is thinking:
Warranty? I’ll give them a damn warranty. I’ll take their warranty and stick it up their…
‘Gerry?’ Fiona says
‘what?’ says Gerry, startled
‘please don’t torture yourself like this,’ says Fiona, her eyes beginning to brim with tears
‘maybe I should have never have…I feel so…’
She breaks down sobbing
‘what?’ says Gerry
‘I’m such a fool,’ Fiona sobs. ‘I mean, I know there’s no knight. I really know that. There’s no knight, and there’s no horse.’
‘there’s no night? No horse?’ says Gerry, baffled
‘you think I’m a fool, don’t you?’ Fiona says
‘no!’ says Gerry, playing it safe
‘its just that…its just that I…I need more time,’ says Fiona. There is a fifteen second pause while Gerry, thinking as fast as he can, tries to think of a safe response. Finally he comes with one that he thinks might work
‘yes,’ he says
Fiona, deeply moved, touches his hand. ‘oh Gerry, do you really feel that way?’ she says
‘what way?’ says Gerry
‘that way about time,’ says Fiona
‘oh,’ says Gerry, glancing at his watch.’ No. I mean, yes.’
Fiona turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse. At last she speaks. ‘thank you, Gerry,’ she says
‘er, yeah,’ says Gerry uncertainty
Then he takes her home and Fiona lies on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul, and weeps until dawn. Whereas when Gerry gets to his place, he opens a bag of pretzels, turns on the TV and immediately becomes deeply involved in a re run of a tennis match between two Czechoslovakians he has never heard of. A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what, and so he figures its better if he doesn’t think about it. This is also Gerry’s policy regarding world hunger
The next day Fiona will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them and they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail, they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification. They will continue to discuss this subject on and off, for weeks, maybe even months, never reaching any definite conclusions, but never getting bored with it either
Meanwhile, Gerry, while playing tennis one day with a mutual friend of his and Fiona’s, will pause just before serving, frown and say, ‘Scott? Did Fiona ever ride a horse at night?’
2006-10-01
15:19:15
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25 answers
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