We turned onto the last landing. Going out with this guy, I thought, would involve a lot of silly laughter, some wit--the buzz of his whispered wisecracks in my ear. But there would be as well his willingness to reveal, or more his inability to conceal, that he had been silently rehearsing my name as he climbed the stairs behind me. There would be his willingness to bestow upon me the power to reassure him. He would trust me with his happiness.
Interpretation
This quote explores the dynamics of emotional vulnerability and happiness in a romantic relationship.
In this quote, Alice McDermott reflects on the complexities of a romantic relationship characterized by humor, trust, and emotional intimacy. The narrator recognizes that the relationship not only offers joy and laughter but also requires a deep emotional connection, where one partner relies on the other for reassurance and happiness. The vivid imagery of silently rehearsing a name signifies the anticipation and care involved in forming a meaningful bond.
In practice
This quote resonates with couples exploring the deeper aspects of their relationship during a discussion.
My love for the child asleep in the crib, the child's need for me, for my vigilance, had made my life valuable in a way that even the most abundantly offered love, my parents', my brother's, even Tom's, had failed to do. Love was required of me now--to be given, not merely to be sought and returned.
The lesson, I suppose, is that none of us have much control over how we will be remembered. Every life is an amalgam, and it is impossible to know what moments, what foibles, what charms will come to define us once we're gone. All we can do is live our lives fully, be authentically ourselves and trust that the right things about us, the best and most fitting things, will echo in the memories of us that endure.
Publishing a short story can sometimes feel like shouting into the dark... your words come out, and then nothing... but I don't think that's why I tend to write novels rather than stories.
The Army might screw you and your girlfriend might dump you and the enemy might kill you, but the shared commitment to safeguard one another’s lives is unnegotiable and only deepens with time. The willingness to die for another person is a form of love that even religions fail to inspire, and the experience of it changes a person profoundly.
Write me of hope and love, and hearts that endured.
It is when we love the other, the enemy, that we obtain from God the key to an understanding of who He is, and who we are.
A witty woman is a treasure; a witty beauty is a power.
Every mouth you’ve ever kissed was just practice. All the bodies you’ve ever undressed and ploughed in to were preparing you for me. I don’t mind tasting them in the memory of your mouth. _x000D_ Was it a long journey? Did it take you long to find me? _x000D_ You’re here now, welcome home.
The ocean of the body crashes against the ocean of the heart. Between them is a barrier they cannot cross.
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