I know you have seen them. The couple who do not speak. Barely acknowledging each other. One with a book, maybe a newspaper. The other with a dreamy look, stirring the coffee. Or an expression of loneliness lost in thought. A comfortable/uncomfortable silence that engulfs a relationship.
Because I am slightly neurotic I have moments of panic when getting into a car with my husband for a long trip. Not only do I have to worry about the usual things like fighting over the radio (all the time), or getting lost (Boston) or God forbid, having to drive on the "wrong" side of the road (Ireland)or just the long boring drive (Memphis)I often fret over what I am going to talk about.
Because I have a tendency to babble and I have a slight flair of the dramatic I love to recite the plot's of my favorite South Park episode that I have discovered (Cartman and Butters partner up to hold hands during a field trip to a Living History Park and Butters' will not let go even when Cartman wants to sneak away to visit a Fun Park next door and Cartman is riding the bumper cars dragging Butters along side...).
The most recent babble session centered around a book I read many many years ago. I found this book sitting on my nephews book shelf once day last summer when I was scouting around for something to read and yes, I stole it! I finally got around to re-reading it last week. I doubt I was assigned to read it in High School because of the whole Catholic thing, but I did read it when I was a teenager.
The Catcher in the Rye.
Haunting and disturbing. I wonder how I processed this book when I was 14? As I discussed Holden Caulfield with Joe (who said, "I wish I had read the book and not the Cliff notes!")I found myself choking up about the kid who threw himself out of the window rather than be beat up by the bullies. I was describing Holden as a young boy who felt things so deeply that he just cracked up.
I read the book in two days and have been thinking about Holden a lot since then.
Too bad I will be taking a four hour drive by myself this morning.
6 comments:
The processing of a good story in your head is great too though - no?
BTW - I loved your balloon card, thank you
I hate that lonliness lost in a thought thing, David and I have been friends for over a decade and our friendship fills that void for me but then again we are not married, we dont live together ... we only see each other about 3 times a week. It's more difficult to become engulfed in comfortable/uncomfortable silence that way.
I'm sorry. Did you say something? I was gazing out of the window as we passed a dairy farm ;)
Alexis and I have spent 28 hours in the car over the past three weekends so I know the situation you are talking about.
I love Butters, he's my favorite character now. Poor kid. My favorite was the Lord of The Rings spoof.
We never really have the radio on, just CDs.
Talk? Mh, whatever comes along. Silence? Sometimes, but comfy.
The book sounds pretty good, but for sure food for thought.
Hope you had a safe trip!
I did my Junior English research paper on the Christian versus Buddhist themes in "The Catcher in the Rye." As an adult, I don't identify with Holden like I did as a teenager, but I LOVE the voicyness of the book. As soon as Holden says, "If you really want to know..." we instantly know he's a teenager with a bad case of attitude. Freaking brilliant writing.
That book changed my life when I first read it at too young an age. People cringe or doubt me when I say that, but it's true.
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