One In The Same

“I remember when the fragrance of cherry blossom lotion first graced my nostrils. The perfect silhouette appears to be levitating before me. I could feel a new energy shifting my cells, rising my curiosity and hypnotizing me. I was too transfixed for it to be love at first sight.”

“You always told me it was my personality that captured your heart.”

“It was.”

“No it wasn’t John. From what you just said it was your erotic hormones that drew you to me.”

He placed his hand on the side of his head and searched the skies for a reasonable rebuttal. “Well Jane, remind me of what it was that drew you into me since physical attraction seems beyond you.”

“I remember how the sound of your voice warmed my body. How staring into your eyes made me feel as if you were opening up your entire being to me. The way you smiled felt like a spiritual hug and your laugh was a soulful kiss.”

“Look, you sexualized me too.”

She waved him off. “Oh please. It’s not the same.”

“You just said my voice filled your body with warmth and butterflies that made you tingle all over.”

“I didn’t say half of what you just uttered. Also mines had nothing to do with your appearance. It was based on what you made me feel.”

“So was mine.” John started swaying his hips side to side. “You made me feel all kinds of things. You were the first woman in my life to make the entire world go blank anytime you walked into my view.” Jane smiled as a small beam of light formed on her pupils. “But we’ve been together for how many decades now?”

Singing she said, “Fifty-six years.”

“That’s almost half a millennium!”

“Old age must be taking away your intelligence to sweetheart.”

“Whatever.”

John paused in the ritual pondering position with his legs crossed, thumb and index finger massaging his chin while appearing to be in the deepest thought of his life. After about three minutes Jane finally asked,

“What’s on your mind?”

“I was just wondering…what bad memories of me do you have? We’ve been together longer than seven presidencies yet I can’t remember you ever being mad at me for anything and I do dumb things at least twice a day.”

“That’s easy. You don’t make me mad.”

“Oh cmon. I know you don’t raise your voice or throw fits but you’re telling me there’s never been a moment you wanted to throw me through a brick wall?”

“Of course there’s been times I’ve wanted to sail out to sea, show you a marvelous view of the vast ocean, feed you amazing foreign food, take a steel pipe, hit you over the head and leave your body in the magnificent sea. I’ll never do that though because I love you too much and know you never purposefully try to irritate me.”

“Is that why you’re always trying to get us to go on a cruise?”

Ignoring him she continues. “To me it’s not justifiable to be angry at someone if their intent was good. For instance, that one time you thought it was a good idea to throw away all my pictures because you uploaded them on a usb drive since it was ‘more convenient’, you can bet everything you own I wanted to put this fist through that cute skull of yours. Instead of acting on my emotions, I try to process what you were trying to accomplish. Did you mean harm? Should I harm you? Will harm fix this situation?”

“That’s a very violent thought process.” John said, interrupting.

“Somehow every time I go through those questions, you never do anything to earn harm. So I don’t get angry. I don’t spaz out. I just get back at you in other ways.”

“In what other ways!?” Jane started whistling with her eyes closed. “You’ve done things to aggravate me too and I never acted on them either.” Her whistling stopped and her eyes opened to a death stare at John.

“Like what?”

His eyes widened as if a lioness just appeared five feet away from him. “It’s nothing serious.”

“If it’s nothing serious then you shouldn’t have trouble saying it.” An empty smile from cheek to cheek covered half of her face.

“It’s nothing crazy but remember a couple years ago when I asked you at least, AT BARE MINIMUM, thirty-seven times if you saw my favorite azure fur coat so I could attend a jazz festival and you repeatedly said, ‘I haven’t seen it honey.’ Then the very next day you tell me that you donated it.”

“I don’t know who’d accept that as a donation anyways.” Jane muttered to herself.

“You don’t think at that moment I didn’t want to, safely, suplex you into a block of legos and pray that every time you stood up your feet would step on them causing suffering you’ve never known!? I didn’t and would never act on that emotion though.”

“And why is that?”

“Because the moment I met you I was disarmed of any hostility towards you. You stole my heart and discarded my anger. You had me wrapped around your fingers the moment we made eye contact.”

“All these years later and you’re still kissing up to me…I love it just as much now as I did then.”

They share a smile. “Give me some loving then baby.”

"Before I do that let me ask you something."

"You know I got all the answers to your inquiries.”

"Have you ever thought about cheating before?”

“Have I ever thought about it or have I ever wanted to do it?”

“There isn’t a difference John.” She firmly said.

“We both just said how we’ve had thoughts that we’ve never acted on because it went against our better judgement or what we really felt. Me thinking about something doesn’t mean I want it to happen. I can think about the end of the world that doesn’t mean I want it to happen.”

“John...why haven’t you answered the question?” The lioness reappears.

“Honestly. No.”

“Is that no to the thought or the desire?”

“Both really. Nobody has ever evoked any type of emotional or sexual yearning for me besides you. If I already have the best there is, why go searching for something else?”

After forty seconds of looking into his soul Jane exhales and says. “Good answer John. Let’s go to bed now.”

“Have you ever thought about it?

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow?”

“What do you mean talk about it tomorrow!? I want to know now!”

“My love...if you think I could ever do that, I fear you don’t know me at all.” She kissed him on the cheek and walked upstairs.”

John stood there sulking, wondering if he just insulted his wife until he realized, “Aye wait a minute...you didn’t answer the question Jane! This better not be one of those get backs you were talking about earlier.”

“I love you dear.” Her voice yelled with laughter.

Shaking his head. “Yea I love you too.”