Her Theory of Love

“The way I see it, we are all lines. Me, you, boy, girl. Lines, that is what we are. And we could be straight or bent but lines we all are still. We move in our own directions, different directions so that some lines can be parallel to each other and others can cross. Sometimes lines decide they are not in the right place and they move, sometimes two lines meet and move together. This phenomenon is love”

I did not hear a word she said. Not for lack of listening. For lack of attention. I liked the sound of her voice so I concentrated on that. I stared her in the eye directly, she liked it when people looked her in the eye because it made her feel her point was being understood. She had told me this. Her way of speaking was weird, fast and with many pauses. You actually had to be attentive to understand.

“Do you understand me?”

I did not understand so I shook my head

“Were you listening?”

I wasn’t listening

“Can you explain it to me again?”

“Do you have a pen and paper?”

She was wearing a gown and I wasn’t. I was wearing a shirt and my shirt had a pocket. I gave her a blue pen and waited.

“Do you have a paper?”

“ehn?”

I was staring at her face. The wrinkles distracted me. They started on her forehead and ran down her cheeks. Some straight, some not.

“I need a piece of paper to explain it to you, don’t you want me to explain it to you?”

“I don’t think I have a paper in my shirt”

“Check your trousers, there might be one in that pocket”

I was wearing a blue pair. I felt the pocket.

“It is not a paper, I think it is a birthday card”

She nodded

“We will have to manage that, won’t we?”

I gave her the card. She took it and she smiled

“Happy Anniversary”

“What?”

“The card, it says happy anniversary. It is an anniversary card”she said.

“Okay” I said. She liked to correct me.

“I am sorry. I thought it was a birthday card.”

She liked to feel smart and correcting me made her feel smart, made her feel like she wasn’t losing her touch. She had told me this. She kept smiling at me.

“Explain”

She moved her chair till she was by my side.

“Are you still eating?” she asked.

I looked at my plate, the food untouched.

“No I am not”

She pushed it away and put the card in front of me. She used my pen and scribbled all over the paper. Someone came and took the plates. I looked around me, there were people everywhere and there was a chandelier. I looked at the chandelier and her gown. We were on a date.

“These are people”she touched me gently.

The paper was covered in lines; long and short, straight and crooked, just like her face.

“Those are lines”

“Yes and people are lines”

I nodded “Which line am I?”

She pointed at a crooked long line.

“I don’t like that line, I want my line to be red”

“My pen is blue” I felt my shirt pocket and gave her a red pen. She took it from me and drew another line.

“I don’t want to be there”

She looked at me and asked where i wanted to be, i pointed at the edge of the paper and she drew a new line.

“Which line are you?” I asked. She pointed at a blue line

“I think you should be red too”She nodded and drew a red line next to the one she pointed at.

“No! not there, you are sitting next to me. I want your line to be next to mine”

She smiled and drew her line next to mine

“That is love”

I looked at her, confused.

“What is love?”

“Love is when two lines meet and move together.”

“Are you saying you love me?”

“I am…” she said, moving her chair to her side of the table.

“…and you love me” she finished.

“I do ?” The lines did meet and move together. I turned the card over

Happy Anniversary T

I wrote T because I cannot remember your name but i can remember the date

Love T (P.s i can’t remember my name too)

“I can’t”

“You can’t love me?” she asked

“I can’t remember my name” I said