Let's Get Married!

Saturday morning, late summer, 2015

Taylor gasped with joy and looked across the breakfast table at the back of the tablet. The tablet showed no reaction.

"We got another wedding invitation," Taylor said.

One succinct word came from behind the tablet. "Who?"

"Hayden and Jamie. I'm so happy for them. They're the cutest couple."

"There are more married now than doing well," Robert retorted.

Taylor laughed. "You say that every time."

"It's a universal truth."

Taylor pulled up the calendar app to enter the date. "Hayden and Jamie, Riley and Devon, Sawyer and Dakota: it's like every couple we know is getting married."

"Hardly."

The balcony returned to peaceful Saturday morning quiet. The air was spiced with the smell of quality coffee. The cat clock just inside the French doors cut its eyes back and forth. Taylor watched a little sailboat glide across the lake in the big city park across the street from the condo. Fingers tapped on the tablet screen.

If swallowing made noise, Taylor's would have been deafening. "Have you ever thought..."

"People get fat when they get married."

Taylor sat up and blinked at the rapidity of Robert's response. "That's not true."

"They get fat, they take each other for granted and studies say that when a person gets married, they lose close contact with at least one good friend."

"Married people are happier and healthier."

"My brother is married, and he's neither."

Silence returned. It became 'that kind of silence'. Robert sat the tablet on the table. "I do not want the government regulating my relationship with you."

Taylor sniffed. "Oh, you and your libertarian political philosophy."

"Taylor, I make, what, over four times what you do?"

Taylor shot back in a singsong voice, "So you have the economic power in the relationship and..."

"Taylor..."

"...you get to call the shots and besides we'd take a big income tax hit if we got married so..."

"Taylor! That's not what I was getting at. My apologies for not phrasing this with more tact. Let me try again. Whose name is on the title of the condo?"

Taylor sat quietly for a moment. "Both our names. Both our names are on the title, even though the down payment was your money and you write the mortgage check every month."

"And you're my life insurance beneficiary, and my will says you get everything except some money for my niece and nephew. I had Jack draw up financial and medical powers of attorney for each of us in the other's name."

"It's true," Taylor replied, "I can't complain about any practical aspect of our relationship. I apologize for being bitchy."

"No apology is necessary, Taytay."

The endearment generated a sweet laugh, but to Robert's surprise a sigh followed. "Is it so wrong to want the fairy tale?"

"I love the fact you believe in the fairy tale."  Robert smiled without a trace of condescension. "I snapped you up right after you graduated college. I didn't let you run around for a few years and sow any wild oats."

Taylor's head cocked.

"You were happy and full of life and terribly naive." This last evaluation drew a snort from Taylor. Robert looked down at the tile flooring. "I couldn't bear the thought of someone hurting you; disappointing you, messing with your desire to dream. I don't want to disappoint you either, especially over this."

Taylor couldn't help smiling across the table.

Robert looked up; their eyes met. "The thing is, lover, the reason people give as to why they got married that has the worst outcome of relationship quality and longevity is: 'we were living together and thought, eh, why not?'"

Taylor blinked several times, processing the layers of what had just been said. "You've thought about us getting married, haven't you? You've researched it, just like one of your financial deals."

"Yes," Robert replied tenuously. "Please don't think it was all so cold and calculated. It's..." He shrugged. "I want to do what's right for us."

They sat quietly together. "I think it would be nice if we had matching rings," Robert suggested. "How about if we pick out matching rings and then I'll whisk you off somewhere romantic and present your ring to you and we'll always wear them."

Taylor gasped. "Really? You mean it?"

Robert smiled. "With all my heart."

Taylor began laughing. Robert's brows went up in inquiry. "What's funny?"

"I can just hear my father railing after I tell him we're not planning to get married."

"I should think that would make him happy. Your father barely tolerates my existence on the planet."

"Yes, but..." Taylor laughed again and shifted his voice down into a gruff register. "This country just went through upheaval so you people could get married, and now you don't want to?"