In my last post, I wrote how I missed meeting Petra for coffee because of a miscommunication. Luckily, a fellow Irish Running Club member, Gerry Manfred, intervened and saved the day.

Petra and I finally made it to the Rockwood Bakery, and after some small talk, I went right to my core issue. “Petra, I’d like to have a relationship with you.”

“What kind of relationship do you have in mind?” she asked, folding her arms.

“I’d describe it as intense realism.”

Petra broke down in laughter. “Intense realism? That sounds like a style of painting.”

“Well, you see, Petra, intense realism has the qualities of bright colors and controlled strokes carefully applied to a soft medium, but it’s not painting. It’s relationshipness.”

“You’ll have to give me a better idea of this style of relationship because, you know, since breaking up with Byron, I don’t look at coupledom the way I used to.”

“I can relate to that. Since I have some experience as well, I know over time how a couple, despite being in love, experience…..complacency.”

“Yeah, but complacency is for mild cases. Lots of couples get to the point where they either don’t want to be together any more, or feel stifled by a lack of freedom.”

“True, oh knowledgeable one, but if a pair are on the same wavelength, have similar experiences and background, and whose greatest desire is simply to be side by side, then I think the worse they’ll experience is complacency.”

Petra leaned back, her eyes locked on mine. “How do you alleviate complacency?”

“By giving each other freedom, which includes the always present desire to be fluffy with others.”

“That’s dangerous territory,” Petra said. “Another always present desire is to not be left for someone else.”

“That’s true, but if you’re a strong couple, and both have agreed to incorporate fluffiness with others, it fosters trust and causes any vestige of jealousy to wane. And in the end, the couple always wants to come home to each other.”

Petra smiled. “I’m starting to comprehend your vernacular. Being fluffy with others would certainly be intense realism.” She took a sip from her coffee mug and set it down, staring at me the whole time. “I haven’t told you this, Jim, but ever since we met, I’ve been a little crazy about you.”

I had to look away, and I fought and fought because there was no way it’d look good losing it in front of her and all the customers. She is my twin soul, and my heart is totally owned by her.