Letâs say a guy named Roger is attracted to a woman named Elaine.
He asks her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after awhile neither one of them is seeing anybody else.
And then, one evening when theyâre driving home, a thought occurs to Elaine and, without really thinking, she says it aloud: "Do you realize that, as of tonight, weâve been seeing each other for exactly six months?"
And then there is silence in the car. To Elaine, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself: Gee, I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe heâs been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks Iâm trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesnât want, or isnât sure of.
And Roger is thinking: Gosh. Six months.
And Elaine is thinking: But, hey, Iâm not so sure I want this kind of relationship, either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so Iâd have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily toward... I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?
And Roger is thinking: ...so that means it was... letâs see. February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealerâs, which means... lemme check the odometer... Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil change here.
He asks her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after awhile neither one of them is seeing anybody else.
And then, one evening when theyâre driving home, a thought occurs to Elaine and, without really thinking, she says it aloud: "Do you realize that, as of tonight, weâve been seeing each other for exactly six months?"
And then there is silence in the car. To Elaine, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself: Gee, I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe heâs been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks Iâm trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesnât want, or isnât sure of.
And Roger is thinking: Gosh. Six months.
And Elaine is thinking: But, hey, Iâm not so sure I want this kind of relationship, either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so Iâd have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily toward... I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?
And Roger is thinking: ...so that means it was... letâs see. February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealerâs, which means... lemme check the odometer... Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil change here.