A British humorist, Howard Jacobson, is my new favorite pundit. Wickedly irreverant and funny. My two favorite flavors.
It is his contention that "Love You, Love You" should be said only "in the arms of the person you love romantically, erotically, madly, deeply. And even then not quite so often as it would seem from watching bed scenes on television and in movies…"
He goes on to tell the macabre tale of "Laura Lundquist and Elizabeth Barrow, aged 98 and 100 respectively, who were residents of Brandon Woods nursing home situated near Bliss Corner-I kid you not- Massachusetts. They had shared a room for a year. According to nursing home staff they acted like sisters, walking everywhere together, taking lunch together, and each saying to the other, "Goodnight, I love you" before turning out the lights and going beddy bye-byes. Love you. Love you. And then guess what happened? In the tradition of the best macabre story-telling, but here's a hint-It involves a plastic bag."
Okay, so maybe that's a tad on the "c'mon, she was a crazy old coot" register. Agreed. But the idea that we utter these words, on a daily basis, to one another does not guarantee that we actually might really, deeply, and honestly mean them.
What to do? Should "love you" be met with, "are you sure?" Not a recipe for hearing further sweet murmuring words anytime soon.
And I, at this particular moment in time, being devoid of a truly, madly, passionately romantic interest, would miss hearing those words. So, as long as you're not slightly unhinged, I just want to tell you, love you.
0 Responses
Please read the chapter “Parenthesis” — actually the half-chapter — in Julian Barnes’s wonderful book, “History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters.” You would agree with it in all sorts of interesting ways, especially (I think) when he says that the phrase “I love you” should be placed in a box that is kept on the top shelf in the closet, to be taken down only when REALLY appropriate.