Digging weeds

A Story by JLe

Who could ask for more?

I’ve never been in love. I don’t know what it feels like to fall head-over-heals for someone; the only idea I have of what it must be like comes from romantic comedies, Jane Austen novels and silly love songs. There are times when I lie awake at night and wonder if it’ll ever happen to me, and if it does ever happen to me, whether I’ll understand what’s going on or not. See, that’s the thing I’ve always wondered - how do people know they’re in love? How can they tell it’s not just a passing fad? Call me cynical, if you like; maybe, if I ever do find someone, I’ll understand what all the fuss is about.

Out of all the romantic movies I’ve seen, all the love songs I’ve heard (trust me, there are quite a few of those), there’s really only one single little line that’s stuck with me through the years. I don’t expect to look across a room, make eye contact with a guy and fall instantly in love. Love at first sight might exist, for all I know, but I doubt it’ll happen to me. I don’t expect a relationship full of grand romantic gestures, or a proposal speech that could easily have been taken out of a book - well-rehearsed and almost too romantic. All that stuff would be great, but I don’t expect it. But there is one thing that’s stayed with me, a line out of the Beatles’ song When I’m Sixty-Four: “Doing the garden, digging the weeds - who could ask for more? Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I’m sixty-four?”

That’s it. With what little knowledge I have of love and relationships, this is something I hold to be true; the day I find someone who makes digging the weeds an enjoyable thing to do, I know I’ve found the right person. When I’m with a man who can make the dullest, most tedious chores a great way to pass time, I’ll know I’m in love, because if doing the garden with him is a joy, then surely the rest of our lives should follow suit.

© 2012 JLe

Author's Note

For those of you who, because of some cruel twist of fate that left you living under a rock a very long way away from civilization, haven't heard When I'm Sixty-Four by the Beatles, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO0fiR0oRP8