Are We In Love??

A meditation on the nature of relationships.

Two people are sitting on a park bench. One of them is a young woman; the other is a young man. It is nighttime. It is cold. They are laughing and appear to be in good spirits. The young woman speaks:

 

Her: Did you ever love me?

 

Him: What do you mean?

 

Her: When you look at me, what do you feel?

 

Him: (looking at her) I feel… like me. How do you feel?

 

Her: I feel like me too.

 

Him: So are we in love?

 

Her: Maybe.

 

Him: Maybe we should kiss?

 

Her: okay.

 

(The man leans over and kisses the woman. It is a tender kiss, without tongue.)

 

Her: That was really sweet.

 

Him: Thanks.

 

Her: So are we in love?

 

Him: What difference does it make? If we say we are we are.

 

Her: That doesn’t seem right.

 

Him: Maybe it isn’t.

 

(They sit in silence for a few moments. The woman takes out a pack of cigarettes, offers one to the man who refuses with an outward facing palm, and starts to smoke)

 

Her: have you been in love before?

 

Him: I don’t think so. Have you?

 

Her: yes, once.

 

Him: What was it like?

 

Her: (after pausing to take a drag) It felt weird. It felt like I was no longer one person, it felt like I was, momentarily, everything that ever was and everything that ever would be. And then it ended, just like that. And I was back to normal.

 

Him: Sounds traumatic.

 

Her: It was.

 

(More silence)

 

Him: Do you think love is product of biological evolution?

 

Her: What do you mean?

 

Him: Like, do you think love is just nature’s way of getting us to f**k each other?

 

Her: It’s possible.

 

Him: I always wondered about it. Whether or not soul mates exist, whether or not our relationships mean anything, whether or not you can ever truly know another human being.

 

Her: I don’t think it’s possible.

 

Him: You don’t think what’s possible?

 

Her: Any of it. Soul mates and all that.

 

Him: I thought you said you’d been in love before.

 

Her: I was. But that’s not the same thing as being “soul mates” with someone.

 

Him: It’s not?

 

Her: No! of course not. Being in love is like being high, you know. Scientists have studied this stuff and they say that the brains of someone on coke and someone in love are very similar.

 

Him: Oh…

 

Her: (Looking over at him) So are you in love with me?

 

Him: I don’t know, I’ve never done cocaine.

She finishes smoking and they both walk away.

End.