Lifestyle: rom-coms

Self-tutoring about lifestyle: the tutor mentions romantic comedies.

In a few months, I’ll have been married 25 years. Yet, I’ve never been to a chick flick. In fact, I don’t watch movies at all: I haven’t seen one for years–intentionally.

My first brush with rom-coms was actually in Parksville last November, while I was away for work. My morning habit was to visit the hotel’s breakfast room, which I often had virtually to myself. I’d turn on CNN (which, ironically, I never follow at home), enjoy some yogurt and fruit, and have a few cups of coffee. It was a marvelous 30 minutes, from around 7:10 to 7:40.

When I didn’t have the breakfast room to myself there was one reason why: tradesmen. They always got up earlier than I did, but left before me as well. Wednesday that week I got downstairs to find a couple, hard hats and all, sitting in the breakfast room.

These tradesmen were both bigger, stronger men than I am, I could tell. I think they were power linesmen. I looked up at the TV – they were watching a rom-com on the Women’s Network. They were alone in the room; clearly, they’d chosen to watch that.

As tradesmen always seem to, they left for work about ten minutes after my arrival. After they left, I got up and changed the channel to CNN. I harvested some coffee, yogurt, and fruit, then took a seat right by where they’d been.

A minute after I’d settled, the bigger of the two tradesmen returned – I guess to get a coffee to go. He tapped me on the shoulder: “I was watching that, you know,” he said, obviously referring to the rom-com I’d switched from. He left before I could say anything.

I’ve often wondered, since, how many rom-coms those tradesmen have watched – and what they saw in them. However, since then, much has happened. I have much more to say, and will follow up.

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