I find myself envying couples with a unique and captivating love story more than those who exude unbearable happiness.
The clichés like "We met in class" or "a friend introduced us" bore me, and I attribute this discontent to the influence of romantic comedies. These movies create unrealistic expectations, making us believe that a chance encounter, like dropping a folder of papers, will lead to a magical connection with a charming stranger who miraculously appears to rescue scattered notes.
Upon hearing an idealized couple narrate their love story with orchestrated passion, I stopped coveting their connection and felt less inclined to steal the magic of their narrative. Since reentering the realm of singledom, I've yearned for a compelling story of my own. While dating apps offer numerous opportunities to meet people, starting a tale with "We met on Tinder" feels mundane. Nonetheless, I acknowledge that a date initiated through these apps can still unfold with unexpected twists that transform it into a captivating story.
Perhaps it's not solely the fault of romantic comedies; one of my earliest literary memories involves seeing Gabriel García Márquez's book, "Living to tell it," on my mother's bookshelf, and the title stuck with me. Another title that remains in my memory is 'How to be unhappy and enjoy it' by Carmen Rico Godoy, though I've yet to discover the secret to achieving it.
A Museum Encounter
In an attempt to engineer unconventional love stories, I caught myself resorting to various tricks in my daily life. Notably, one summer day at a museum, I noticed a security guard in a room and impulsively decided to give him my phone number. However, in this digital age, finding paper and a pen proved challenging. Eventually, I wrote my number on the museum entrance ticket and handed it to the security guard, anticipating that even if he didn't call, the story itself was worthwhile. When he did contact me, I envisioned my life unfolding like a romantic comedy, eagerly awaiting my debut on Netflix.
Our first meeting occurred that night, and during the date, I convinced myself that everything he said aligned perfectly with what I desired. We strolled hand in hand, imagining ourselves as the perfect couple, and I indulged in the illusion of a fairy-tale romance. However, the reality was that we barely knew each other's last names, and I struggled to recall his actual name – in my mind, he remained "the one from the museum." Despite conversing daily for two weeks, ignoring spelling errors and evident incompatibilities, we eventually faced the challenge of meeting in person.
Engaged in what I dub 'Love is Blind Syndrome,' inspired by the Netflix reality show, we had fallen for each other without seeing each other physically. When he finally visited, the stark reality confronted us, as our minds had filled the gaps in our conversations with our desires. The discrepancies between expectations and reality became apparent, highlighting the pitfalls of forming connections solely through virtual conversations.
