Teodros Kiros - Friendly lovers

Friendly lovers

25 November, 2009 | Teodros Kiros (PhD)

It is dark outside. The full moon takes its domain, as a group of college
students sit and talk about the size of the moon, its grace and its luminous
presence. There are five students, two women, and three men, sitting on the
stairs, and chatting away, quietly.

A student says, “ Hey. It is full

moon.

Look. Look”

“ Oh yes. Gorgeous. Its puts

you in

the mood for love”,

says, another.

“ Love. What is that?” says another.

The darkness deepens.

Silence. Long silence.

Another student breaks the stillness. “Love is understanding the person you
deeply care for, even if that person cheats you, whatever cheating means.”

Again, silence.

A woman’s voice pierces the night. “ You do not know what cheating means?
Cheating means betraying trust, breaking the heart of the person who loves
you, even if you are not married to that person.’’

The other woman says, “ Wait a minute. No body is cheating anybody, in a
relationship based on non-ownership. In a friendly love, cheating has no place.
Everything is based on trust. It is an open relationship, in which a person is
with another, because they trust each other. ”

All the other four nod with the exception of the student for whom cheating is
simply betrayal in any relationship, and whatever name we give it. Pensive, she
says nothing.

The other woman continues, “ We have long dropped the B and G words.
What we have now are friendly lovers. It is much easier to deal with what you
call love.” She takes a deep breadth, as if she frees herself from heavy weight.

Everybody is still.

The quiet girl looks up at the moon and says to herself that she will not cheat
on her boy friend in the marines, and that to her love is total commitment in a
closed relationship framed by love.

Soon the others leave.

A cloud passes, briefly darkening the sky. Still, she looks up and patiently
awaits the moonlight’s return. She wonders if her marine is looking up, too.