Faded Boxers

Rach and I both loved Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and have been eagerly anticipating the Tim Burton remake.

As we were making our way to our seats, I noticed that some girl had propped up her feet on the backrest of what was supposed to be Rach’s seat. The girl didn’t notice us looking at her as she was busy talking to what appeared to be her driver. After a polite cough from me, she finally noticed us and apologetically removed her feet from the backrest. This does not bode well, I thought.

As we were getting comfortable in our seats, the Ice Age 2 trailer came up. You know how it goes. It starts off with this prehistoric squirrel climbing up a perpendicular rockface, and all sorts of hilarity ensues as it chases after its elusive nut.

Oooh that’s so scary, said the girl behind us. I tried rock climbing before and it totally freaked me out!

Really? So where’d you go climbing? The guy was showing just a little too much interest for such a mundane topic.

Oh, some mall. I forget.

Wow!

At this point, Rach and I looked at each other with amusement. The vapidity that pervades the girl’s side of the conversation, and the forced enthusiasm on the part of the guy could only mean one thing: He’s not her driver!

“Is this their first date?” I whispered to Rach.

“Apparently, they have not yet learned the beauty of comfortable silence.” Rach was just getting a little irritated by the volume of their voices. I too was getting peeved by the couple behind us, but I was in no mood to shush them as I would have normally done. I just told Rach to just try and ignore them because we would only be wasting our time if we tried to teach them some manners.

Unfortunately, ignoring them would prove to be quite a feat.

So, what else do you like to do?

Oh you know, go to the beach and stuff.

Really?! He has got to be kidding. No way is that even remotely interesting. So what do you think are the beautiful beaches? Which do you like better? The beaches here or the ones in the States?

That went on for a while. I needn’t reiterate everything those two talked about; but trust me, at no point did it not become stupid.

To maintain our sanity, Rach and I had a conversation of our own—in whispered tones mind you.

“Geez! This guy is so lame!”

“I know, and the girl! ‘OHMYGOD!’” Rach is great with impressions.

“Were we ever that lame when we were just starting?”

“Dear God no!”

And that’s when I remembered. We were never that lame when we were starting out because we never started out as a normal couple to begin with. While other couples went through the progression from strangers–>friends–>couple, Rach and I went by a different route.

We were strangers–>enemies–>friends–>mortal enemies–>best friends–>couple. We didn’t have a problem breaking the ice between us because Rach was too busy trying to find ways of ignoring the infuriating presence that was me.

We didn’t talk about our likes and dislikes. I just found out that she disliked having her pager swollowed when she beat my arm raw afterwards. I didn’t have to feign interest at her stories. I just had to feign ignorance when she came to work one morning to find that her stuffed toys have all committed suicide in her cubicle.

I didn’t plan on being in a relationship with Rach when I first met her. Heck, I didn’t even plan on being friends with her. But something happened along the way that would have made both of us miserable if we didn’t end up with each other.

As these thoughts ran through my mind, I began to have a more forgiving attitude towards the couple behind us. While our respective experiences might not be similar, I can relate to what the guy may be going through. They may be off to a rocky start; but Rach and I didn’t start under the best circumstances either, and we’re nearing our fourth year together.

Maybe if they want it enough, and if they keep trying hard enough, they’ll probably be fine.

Awww, Charlie’s so poor! It’s so sad to be that poor!

But it’s better to be poor in the States than here right?

Nah, it’s just about the same.

But it’s much cooler in the States right?

Or maybe not.