He’s Got Her Number

wedding road trip in northampton, mass I owe my cousin Daniel an apology. Back when he was in high school and I was in the sixth grade, my grandmother took us both to Clovis Lakes, the local water park. For the entire day, I reported to Daniel and gave him the phone numbers of girls who he thought was cute. By the end of the day, he had about twenty numbers. This sounds like a great story except…

All the numbers were fake. Every last one of them.

Sure, the girls thought Daniel was cute. They even told me to tell him that. But when it came to giving out their phone numbers, they weren’t going to go the extra mile. Desperate to impress my super cool cousin, I went the distance for them.

And so there it is, Daniel. The secret that’s been haunting me for years. I hope you forgive me… and please don’t tell your sister that I read all of her diaries while she was out on a date.

Daniel has since grown up to become a doctor and has no problems asking women for numbers. This confidence is probably what snagged him Kiva, his girlfriend of two years. Kiva is also a doctor, something that brings out a competitive streak in both of them from time to time. Word has it that their dinner table discussions often center on radiology, a study neither of them ever seems to find tiring.

Over breakfast, Daniel and Kiva shared the secret to their success- working long hours. Given that they only see each other for a few hours of week, they treasure that time together and don’t sweat the small stuff. Okay, I made up the fact that they tout long hours as their secret sauce, but it completely makes sense. After all, who has time for mindless drama when you can be saving people’s lives?

Daniel also shared an insight that he had several years ago about people in general. After dealing with a particularly difficult situation with an important person in his life, he realized that the problem was actually his own. By accepting that “people are people” and that he wouldn’t be able to change the person in question, he was able to let go of the angst that he felt. I found this to be particularly helpful advice, as Chris and I have recently been dealing with accepting the reality that we both suck… a little bit.

Kavi commented that she has never spent so much time talking about relationships in one sitting. This made me laugh, as that’s pretty much been our lives for the past month. That brought up another point, however. If we spend so much time dissecting our relationships, when do we have time to live them?

Spending time with Daniel and Kavi reminded me of how relationships and life are cyclical. Family members especially, play important roles that ebb and flow over the years. While I haven’t had a deep conversation with Daniel in several years, after this meeting, I am sure that Chris and I will find a path to Massachussetts to connect once again in the very near future. There’s something beautiful about finding your way back to a relationship that was once very important to you. And Daniel, I promise not to give you any more fake numbers… not that you need them.

wedding road trip