"Will You Marry Me?" she asked.

For better or for worse. TWO-MINUTE FICTION

Photo by *Chema Madoz

Will you marry me?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered, “I will.”

He loves her. He sees a confident, beautiful woman in her, and calls her “brave” and “capable”. He likes her goofy sense of humor and the fact that she loves to sing and cannot carry a tune in a paper bag. But what he does not know about her is a lot. He doesn’t know that inside she is still a mystified little girl with myriad fears, that she can be crushed by the slightest criticism. He doesn’t know she often needs silence and solitude — and wine in order to cope. How many things about herself has she never revealed to him?

She loves him, too. If you asked her why, she’d say that he is smart and responsible and such a kind person. “He makes me feel safe,” she says, “and always laughs at my jokes!” But does she really know him? She doesn’t have any idea how insecure he can be, the self-doubt that creeps into each of his days. His tendency toward clutter. His aversion to what he believes is “women’s” work. He has kept parts of himself well-hidden, possibly even from himself.

What will happen when he discovers who she really is? And when she learns the truth of him, what then? But, really, they are no different from any other couple. Does anyone really know another person? For better or for worse, it says in the vows. Whoever wrote that was not so dumb. They’ll work it out eventually. Or they won’t.

---

*See more of Chema Madoz’ intriguing surrealist photos HERE

---

Here is two-minute story with a major secret to a happy marriage:

The Early Morning Bus to Chelsea