It happened two weeks back, the day before Valentine's Day.
I pulled the glass out of the dishwasher that morning and noticed a small but clearly visible line under the pattern printed on its surface. It was time to retire this one, just like its twin, which cracked a few years earlier.
I bought these a decade ago from a little boutique that may or may not be in business now. I passed its window on the way home from class and went inside on a whim. These glasses were set on a sale shelf toward the back of the store with other random items.
Why these glasses? I don't completely remember how it came to be, but somehow, we adopted the curlicue as our symbol. I think it had something to do with time being a spiral -- cycling but still moving in a line. We needed a sense of forward motion but couldn't deny the detours our relationship was having to undergo. So, the curlicue. We'd doodle it on things, the way people would carve their initials on tree trunks, to remind ourselves of the possibility of a future in one location, even if we had to get there in a roundabout fashion.
So just before Valentine's Day ten years ago, I found these glasses waiting for me on that shelf. I took them back to my dorm, filled one with red and white M&Ms, and wrapped it up in cellophane. I sent that one to D and kept the other for myself. For the years we were apart, we used these. And when we had to separate for a second time, I made sure to take mine with me.
Of course, with all of that history, I can't bring myself to throw these away, but I haven't figured out what to do with them. Perhaps they'll become homes for small plants. Or candleholders. No matter what, glasses, we've had a good run. Here's to having you side by side.
7 comments:
Such a great story. I love the idea of a relationship symbol. Now you've got me thinking about what ours would be...
Thanks, Kristen! Can't wait to hear if you do come up with a symbol of your own -- we didn't consciously go out looking for one; it just fell out of a conversation in those first months of dating. Possibly another one of those late-night phone calls where I wasn't totally with it? ;)
I think that is really a mark of love - to pick two specific colours out of bags and bags of M&M's to show the colours of love in such a pretty glass.
Isn't it a shame when things we love get past being used. I do agree it is much too pretty to throw away though.
This is lovely! How sweet that you have your own symbol! Those glasses are keepsakes, that's for sure--even if you fill them with colored stones or marbles, they'll still make you smile.
FF -- I went for the one-pound bag and ate my way through the remaining ones that semester. The drugstore had a Valentine's version (red, white, and pink mix), so it cut down on the sorting.
TKW -- colored stones are a great idea!
You could use them as votive/candle holders. That is such a sweet story, and awesome that you guys have a symbol.
They do lend themselves to that sort of function, don't they, SuziCate? The real question, I think, is where they'll fit in the house. If I put anything more on the end tables in the living room, there won't be surface space for things that actually need it (like glasses people really do want to drink from)!
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