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.
Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - the ones at home.
Hatred will always give birth to more and more hate, and love has the power to demolish the borders between us.
But the act, called the sexual act, is not for the depositing of seed. It is for leaping off into the unknown, as from a cliff's edge, like Sappho into the sea.
I love what I do. I was given the most incredible gift that can be given to anyone. I could never imagine a world without music, and I feel grateful that I've been given the ability to share that.
You may be a puzzle, but I like the way the parts fit.
Ah! when will this long weary day have end, And lende me leave to come unto my love? - Epithalamion
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