Ci Divorziamo
Yesterday in class, we were asked to write something concerning either the beginning or ending of a relationship. It could be anything: dialogue, a story, a letter...the only limit was our own imagination.
So, the class furiously scribbled for 45 minutes, and then we all shared. I decided to write a fairy tale about the Prince of Outer Space who decides he prefers cleaning over adventures, and finds a princess who prefers adventures over cleaning (oh, sweet irony).
"HA!" I thought to myself. "Try and top THAT bit of creative comedy."
Oh, but readers, life had quite the curveball for YHN.
There's an older Chinese chap in my class. Nice guy. Very good grasp of Italian grammar, but he writes and speaks a little stilted (as I'm sure I do too).
So, he starts to read his paper. It's a story, about the break-up of a marriage. A husband comes home after a long day from work. It was read with the same tone as a 4th grader might read "What I Did for Summer Vacation", and it didn't help that the dialogue doesn't really convey the seriousness of the subject matter.
"We need to talk," says the husband.
"Ok," says the wife.
They sit down.
"I'm afraid it's serious," said the husband.
"I see," said the wife.
"I no longer love you," he said.
The wife started to cry.
"Ok," she said, "Let's divorce."
The End
Well, it was that last line that was straw that broke the camel's back. I shouldn't have laughed, but I couldn't help it. The dam broke and I was burying my face in my arms to muffle my laughter and wiping away tears. It also didn't help that I had a mirthful Libyan sitting in front of me fighting for air because he was laughing. I'm pretty sure the Chinese guy knew it wasn't a very realistic portrayal of marriage. He had a big grin on his face as he returned to his seat.
While "Prince of Outer Space" was pretty much forgotten by now, I bore no ill will towards my Chinese classmate for one-upping me in the comedy department. He had certainly made my day a lot brighter.
So, the class furiously scribbled for 45 minutes, and then we all shared. I decided to write a fairy tale about the Prince of Outer Space who decides he prefers cleaning over adventures, and finds a princess who prefers adventures over cleaning (oh, sweet irony).
"HA!" I thought to myself. "Try and top THAT bit of creative comedy."
Oh, but readers, life had quite the curveball for YHN.
There's an older Chinese chap in my class. Nice guy. Very good grasp of Italian grammar, but he writes and speaks a little stilted (as I'm sure I do too).
So, he starts to read his paper. It's a story, about the break-up of a marriage. A husband comes home after a long day from work. It was read with the same tone as a 4th grader might read "What I Did for Summer Vacation", and it didn't help that the dialogue doesn't really convey the seriousness of the subject matter.
"We need to talk," says the husband.
"Ok," says the wife.
They sit down.
"I'm afraid it's serious," said the husband.
"I see," said the wife.
"I no longer love you," he said.
The wife started to cry.
"Ok," she said, "Let's divorce."
The End
Well, it was that last line that was straw that broke the camel's back. I shouldn't have laughed, but I couldn't help it. The dam broke and I was burying my face in my arms to muffle my laughter and wiping away tears. It also didn't help that I had a mirthful Libyan sitting in front of me fighting for air because he was laughing. I'm pretty sure the Chinese guy knew it wasn't a very realistic portrayal of marriage. He had a big grin on his face as he returned to his seat.
While "Prince of Outer Space" was pretty much forgotten by now, I bore no ill will towards my Chinese classmate for one-upping me in the comedy department. He had certainly made my day a lot brighter.