KOCHI: When we meet people in a relationship, one of the first questions that gets asked is how they met. We want the meet-cute story.
On one hand, in a world with billions of strangers, it seems amazing how people even meet and connect so much with each other that they actually make commitments to each other.
On the other hand, in such a crowded world, we are constantly bumping into hundreds of prospective partners at all sorts of places, all the time. Surely we must be meeting so many awesome people that to actually say, “This one is special,” seems extraordinary.
The question “How did you meet?” is an acknowledgement of both extremes at the same time. How did you meet? What circumstances conspired to make this meeting happen? What makes this person special? How did they acknowledge each other in a sea of humanity? We want to know everything.
We want the full story.
A simple “It just happened,” with a shrug of dismissal will not do. We want the drama, the highlights, the low lights, the missed chances and the made moments. The story has to be something memorable. If not, what’s the whole point of it – how can we even trust that this is a Big Thing?
At the very least, we want a quiet smile of knowing – that they stole a glance at each other across a crowded hall, first the one and then the other, and then how each noticed the other looking at them, the averting glance, the lack of aversion in how it happens, and then holding their gaze – maybe for a few seconds, maybe longer, hopefully with at least the slightest hint of a smile that makes one smitten. It may be just a quick moment, but we want it to be a story worth repeating.
Like a little gemstone cut and polished to a brilliant shine and then set in jewellery with beaten gold to bring every possible beam of light to shine through that little gemstone, we want the story to pull together the energy of everything around it and be a momentous event, the start of something extraordinary. We want it so badly to be a thing of beauty and promise.
The meet-cute story is a testament to possibilities. It is important not just for the ones who want to hear the story so they can remind themselves that love is all around them, but also for the ones whose story it is. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we tend to overlook the magic that life has to breathe in every day to make love happen. Life is stressful. We need to remind ourselves that there is more to it. The meet-cute story is one such thing.
So, when someone asks you your meet-cute story, don’t hold back. Even if life isn’t particularly great right now, go ahead and share the story with all its embellishments. We can always use the reminder that love happens – for ourselves and for others.