Snapshots

6:00 pm on a Tuesday

He said: I think it's stupid. She said: What? He said: Marriage. She said: What do you mean? –Watch out, that burner is on. He said: There's no point. It's signing a government document stating you're a couple, even though you were already a couple to begin with – here's the garlic you asked for. She said: Thanks babe – well, yes, I suppose so, but marriage also holds a lot of meaning for some people. He said: But that's just it. There is no real meaning to it. It's not even permanent; people get divorced all the time. Like my parents. Married for over twenty-five years, and then bam, they get divorced. Being married means nothing. She said: I don't think that's true; something can have meaning without you seeing it – can you chop an onion for me? He said: It's more like people are imagining meaning where there is none. She said: Don't you ever want to get married? He said: Yes...well, I don't know. I think it's cool to be able to agree that you're committed to each other without having to prove it with a legal document – mmm, that's smelling good. She said: Careful, the oil is starting to splatter – I see how that would be neat. But maybe that's exactly what marriage is: agreeing to commit to one another, and making that commitment known to the public. He said: I guess so, but maybe I don't want my relationship to be a public thing. She said: What is that supposed to mean? He said: What I mean is, maybe it's nobody's business – here's the onion – maybe my relationship is a personal, private thing, and it shouldn't matter to anyone else how committed I am. She said: I can see that. I still think getting married is what makes the relationship that much more special. He said: Anything can be special as long as you make it special. She said: Yeah, I guess so – set the table for me, will you?