I used to give my first infatuation a birthday card every month.
She had to call me for her birthday party, after nine cards. There my best friend told me not to trouble her. That they were boyfriend girlfriend. As if that was not enough, she called me her brother at the party. All my friends knew what that meant.
I rebounded then and there, to her best friend. I called her my first love. I gave her a birthday cake. Not every month. Only on her birthday. She left for the US after two cakes. When she came for summer break, it was on her birthday. I was there at the airport with her family and a birthday cake. She introduced us to Mike. We had the cake at the airport, Mike too. I was left with the box.
That is when I decided not to remember the birthday of a woman I wanted to be with all my life.
So, when my wife asked me, "Do you know what is today?", I could only reply, "Today is today." with a smile. Never smile at serious women, I kicked myself mentally.
"It is my birthday and you forgot, yet again." She locked herself in the bedroom. I was in the doghouse yet again.
How could I explain the situation?
Every married couple has a lot of Rebecca and Maxim de Winter in them.
It did not help that my mother-in-law visited yesterday.
She told me, "Your wife can't cook."
"She can. Very well too," I replied.
"No, she can't. She is a very busy and successful person. She can't cook."
"But, I cook half the time. I am also slightly busy and successful," I said.
"Get a cook," she said firmly.
"But, I don't like outside cooks in our house," I said.
"Marriage is all about compromise," she said.
"We used to cook and do everything on our own when we were in London," I said.
"That is London. This is not London."
Meanwhile, my father-in-law sat watching Netflix on TV. 'Breaking Bad'. He was trying to say something to me. Last time, it was 'Reservoir Dogs' on another channel.
It is a very bad idea to explain a story, any story, even one's own story.
ReplyDeleteA story and its title are created and let loose on readers. No two readers will read the same.
The good stories take you right within the story. Some, like me, like to identify with at least one character.
How people read and react can be as interesting as the story. For example, some will find some part of their own life in a story. Some will take offence because it goes against their current beliefs. How can a person who claims to be a feminist accept a story in which women are shown as they are, human beings that could be as bad or as good as men?
Consider the novel 'Rebecca'. Below, I will give a link with exhausting details about the book and its author.
My own take may or may not be on those or accepted lines.
If I say that every husband has a Maxim in him, what do I mean? Does he have a past, a guilt he would like to forget? Is he doomed?
If I say that every wife has a Rebecca in her, the first question should be: is she like Rebecca or is she the second wife haunted by Rebecca?
Is there a Mrs Danvers in every marriage? Is it a mother-in-law, a sister-in-law, a friend, someone (not necessarily a woman) that can really spook the marriage?
That's just scratching the surface.
At the end of the day, if you like a story, you and the author will be able to discuss (if interested or of that disposition), like friends, like vicious enemies, like lovers.
If you don't like a story or its author, you will keep it a very brief encounter.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/feb/23/olivia-laing-on-daphne-du-mauriers-rebecca-80-years-on