Mike: How did you sleep last night?
Maria: Okay. I kept tossing and turning.
Mike: Why? Were the cats and dogs keeping you up?
(Mike and Maria lived in a neighborhood with a lot of pets. They always made
noise at night.)
Maria: No. I kept hearing this snoring sound next to me. It was too loud for me
to go to sleep.
Mike: I don't snore that loudly. You are exaggerating.
Maria: You're right, I'm just joking. But I really was having a hard time going
to sleep last night. My back is killing me this morning.
Mike: My back has also been hurting me the last couple of nights. Maybe it's
time we go buy a new mattress. What do you think?
Maria: I think you might be right. We have had that old mattress for years now.
God only knows if any springs have been broken.
Mike: Let's go to the mattress store next weekend and buy a new one.
Maria: Okay. Good idea.
(Mike took another bite of his pancake and savored it in his mouth.)
Mike: These are really good pancakes. Thank you for making them.
Maria: You're welcome, honey. It was my pleasure. What do you think of the eggs?
Mike: The eggs were fine. I really liked the pancakes.
Maria: Is something the matter with how I make eggs?
Mike: No. Like I said, they're perfectly fine! Eggs are just not really my cup
of tea. I thought you knew that.
Maria: You don't like eggs? I had no clue. Why haven't you ever said anything?
Mike: I didn't want to hurt your feelings. You know how much I love your cooking.
Maria: I know that you do. Next time, just be honest and tell me the truth. Okay?
Mike: Okay honey. I'm sorry.
******
Mike and Maria have been living together for two years. They would often reminisce about how they first met. Maria loved to tell the story at social gatherings, but Mike would feel embarrassed as Maria talked about their first interactions. It was at a coffee shop in downtown Los Angeles. Mike remembers it like it was just yesterday. Maria recalled it well, too. It was the story they would one day tell their children when they were older. It was the story of Mike and Maria's first encounter.