a catch

while Mother Nature typically has a knack for matching up people who are physically comparable, there are always anomalies. for instance: the Sexy Lady + Unattractive Man cliché. even less common, though, is the opposite pairing. yet here's just such a mash-up now! a married couple consisting of one objectively dashing gentleman -- all talldarkand chisel-smiled, and free of any pretension-induced swagger -- and one humble-looking (shall we say) woman. both fortyish. both upbeat. and both clearly very taken with each other. they're so sweet i can barely pry my eyes or smile away from them. but i digress and repeat: he's really something of a specimen. which, of course, shouldn't matter in the least (the hormones of certain onlookers -- ahem -- notwithstanding). it's just that the physical disparity between them is so unusual that i can't help wondering what's behind this unorthodox equation...

one possibility is that Ma Nature -- ever the wiley one! -- is just trying to keep us on our toes. (a-ha! this couple'll surely stump 'em!)

then again, perhaps there's a lesson to be learned from the relationship logic of Mr. and Mrs. Cliché (referenced above). after all, The Clichés make perfect sense together once we factor in two other convenient -- and nauseating -- stereotypes whereby Sexy's a gold-digger and Unattractive is an arm-candy fiend; thus, he gets the catch, she gets the cash, and bob's your uncle! if times they really are a-changin', then our forty-somethings may just be one example of a twenty-first-century, gender-bending variation on this theme: maybe Humble's middle name is Moneybags and she's bent on parading Specimen around; and maybe he's the one jonesing for a larger disposable income.

then again (again), maybe this theory's all a buncha hooey. because the more i stare at our duo (this hobby is truly shameless at times...), the more i realize they are, without a doubt, among the more delightful coffee-shop couples i've seen in a long time. the only remaining cause for suspicion then? well, they just make it look so easy.

and now back to translating...