John thought to himself. He and Mary have been dating for about three years. Everyone thinks and even says that they are a Thing, but so far, they still live on opposite sides of this small town. Because he is the man, he is the one who usually drives across town to be with Mary. Should he tell her that he has been given an eviction notice?
Inside the high-rise on the tenth floor, ringing the doorbell, he is met with the always smiling Mary. “Hi John, what a surprise. I wasn’t expecting you today.”
She leads him into the spacious living room. He naturally sits down and doesn’t waste any time getting to the point, “Mary, have you thought about our talk last week, my idea to live here together, sharing the rent and utilities?
“One second,” she thinks as she goes to the kitchen to get a coffee. “How do I tell him that, even after three years, I am not one hundred percent sure that I want to spend the rest of my life living in the same house with him?” Returning to the living room, she hands John a steaming mug of coffee, “Here, your favorite with milk and sugar.”
“Thanks. Well, have you thought about it?”
“Quite a bit.” Thinking again to herself, but not seriously! “There are so many factors to consider. My parents are very conservative, and they will not accept the idea that I am living in a house out of wedlock. Additionally, I would need to include you in my lease agreement. And my landlord is super nosy. And with my school activities, I often have the music students coming by for lessons.”
John, standing up and walking over to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the park, “Mary, I get all of what you are saying, but after three years, I really think we have to see how serious our potential long-term relationship is, and this usually can only happen by living together.”
Mary doesn’t want to hurt his feelings, and she is not comfortable with the idea of living together without being married. “John, let me think about it some more, but honestly, I am also old-fashioned, and I can’t imagine living together and not being m
John, thinking to himself, “Yeah, I understand all of this, but I am desperate to find a place, and I’m also not ready to get married.” At thirty, I feel like I am still too young—too many things to check out still. “Mary, I hope you can agree, but if not, I understand.” Should I try to lean on her even though I’m not serious about settling down? “But without the living together experience, maybe the idea of marriage is just too distant.”
“John, I have an appointment at the school in thirty minutes. I have to run. You can stay, but please ensure you lock up before leaving. Thanks.”
