little space for evobelle...

Friday, September 4, 2009

Art Collection: You're not Prince Charming

“Do you remember the first time we met?”

“Sure thing, it was that barbeque a few summers back. I was wearing jeans and you were wearing a stained skirt. You’d tripped over your shoelaces that you’d forgotten to tie and knocked over the ketchup. How could I forget that graceful creature?”

“I remember that you were wearing a cornflower-blue shirt that matched your eyes and I only tripped because you’d smiled at me. I still have that skirt somewhere. And I remember that you danced with your five-year-old cousin because she’d asked. I’ve never seen anything sweeter in my life.”

“I remember that, my back still hurts from bending down.”
“It was adorable. And then you came over and asked my name. Why?”
“You were standing in front of the steak. I came for the meat, you were just a bonus.”

“Always a romantic.”
“I’m a walking Hallmark card.”
“But you still asked me to dance.”

“I did. You had a chipped tooth and I wanted to know what had happened. Come to think of it, you never have told me what happened. What a waste of a dance.”

“I fell when I was running into love with you.”
“I bet you tripped over those shoelaces again.”

“You sap the cute out of everything. Did you realize when we were dancing that you were going to love me?”

“No, but I did realize you look a little like a girl I went to high school with.”
“Was she pretty?”
“Trick question. You’re pretty, how about that?”
“Fair enough, but when did you realize that you were going to love me?”
“I didn’t.”
“Brutal.”
“It wasn’t like that. You want to make it into a fairy tale, but this was so much better.”

“How so?”

“You weren’t wearing glass slippers, you were wearing Converses that didn’t shatter and splinter your feet. You weren’t eating a poisoned apple, you were making a mess out of those ribs. And when the clock struck midnight I got to kiss you under the patio lights.”

“I like the idea of love at first sight.”

“And I like the idea of being an astronaut. I didn’t love you the first time I saw you because the first time I saw you I wasn’t really looking. I saw a too-thin girl holding her elbows nervously and chewing on the corner of her lip. I saw you knitting your eyebrows and drawing stars with your toe. I thought you were interesting, but I didn’t see enough to think I was in love.”

“When did you see enough?”

“It wasn’t a single moment, it wasn’t like one second I was a man out of love and the next I was drowning in it. I told you, this isn’t a fairy tale. I took a step when I saw how your face lit up when you were watching the fireworks. I took another step when I saw you sneak some food to the dog under the table. It was a bunch of little steps, I’m still taking them.”

“So you haven’t fallen in love with me?”

“I don’t think I ever will. Falling sounds painful. To me, it signifies an end. I’d like to think that love isn’t a fall but a path. When I went to get a steak and got your name instead I changed my direction. Since then I’ve been walking down love with you. Does that answer your question?”

“In spades.”

Labels: Art Collection

by Maybelle at 1:59 PM |