I just went there for a few things, on what was supposed to be a quick, simple stop. But as I was getting ready to check out and leave, I saw an aisle I had never noticed before. The banner above the aisle, instead of "Canned Goods" or something like that, just said "Everything". Curiosity got the better of me, and I took a detour to see what was there.
Lining the shelves was, quite literally, everything you could think of. I walked past a bunch of people inside plastic boxes, and did a double-take. The label on the shelf said "Husbands", and farther down, "Wives". I was moving on, when I suddenly thought "Oh! I should pick one up for Cindy. She's always talking about the kind of guy she wants, so selecting one should be easy." The boxes listed the respective merits of the people inside. I went down the line until I found one that was just what she had always told me she wanted. The box said "Kind, handsome, and industrious with a mischievous streak." He was handsome, too: mussed-up brown hair, nice eyes, and an amazing smile. She'd absolutely love him. I tipped him into the cart and kept walking.
As I walked, the things on the shelves would remind me of other friends. There was something called "Beauty in a Box" for Gloria; a quiet, unassuming girl who had always talked about how badly she wanted to be beautiful. She really didn't look bad at all though. I guess she was her own harshest critic.
When I finally reached the checkout line, my cart was overflowing. There were PhD's, fathers, careers, fame, cars, and many, many other things. As I left the store, I was elated thinking of how happy my friends would be when they saw all of my purchases.
I went to Cindy's house first. I left her husband in the car and bounced up and down with excitement as I waited for her to come to the door. "Who is it?" She yelled from inside. "It's me!" I called back. "I've brought something you've been waiting for your whole life!" She opened the door and gave me an odd look. I called "Brad" (that was what the box said his name was) out of the car. He came up the walkway with a huge grin on his face. Cindy squealed so loud that it made my ears ring. She ran off the porch in her socks and nearly knocked him over. As I left, the last thing I heard her say was "Finally I can be happy!"
I drove around town, leaving my purchases with their new owners. Gloria gave me the biggest hug ever. In fact, everyone had pretty much the same reaction. They all said how they had always wanted this, and how happy it would make them. I went home with the greatest feeling.
It didn't last long.
Gloria stopped by the next night. "Hey!" I said. "You look great!" She frowned. "I just feel so gross", she said. "Some of the looks I get make me shiver inside. I want to crawl under a table." I knew she wasn't the type to wear clothes that invited those looks. "But," I said, "You know you aren't doing anything wrong, right? That's just what people do." She sighed. "That doesn't make me feel any less gross. I just... I don't know. I feel so unsettled."
Two weeks later, Gloria called me on the phone crying. At first I didn't know what was wrong, but she eventually calmed down enough to tell me. "He just liked me for the way I looked!" She said. "He never really loved me." I paused. "Couldn't you tell?" I asked. "I mean, when you were together, didn't he do something to tip you off?" "No!" She sobbed. "I thought he loved me for me." I tried to assure her that not all guys were like that, but my words felt really hollow. How could she tell the difference? She couldn't see into their hearts, she only knew what they told her. And they told her any old thing, just to get what they wanted. I hung up the phone that night feeling really down. Life would chew you up and spit you out, if you let it. She was so sweet, so trusting... and that could be her downfall.
I went to visit Cindy about a week later. She answered the door looking distracted. I peeked around her shoulder. "Where's Brad?" I asked. Her face fell. "He's... well, we're separated." "What? How? I mean... why? Isn't he what you wanted?" She looked at the ground. "Yes, but... well, no. I'm not sure married life is for me anymore." My mind was swirling around as I drove home. She had been so sure that she wanted to get married. In fact, that was really the only thing she had ever talked about wanting. But how could anyone be sure they wanted something if they'd never had it before?
It ended up being pretty much the same story for everyone on my list. The guy who got the PhD discovered that it really hadn't done him any good. The twins who got fame found themselves craving privacy. And every single person who got the career they "wanted", discovered that their new job wasn't something that they wanted to do for the rest of their lives.
The store that had the "Everything" aisle ended up doing a very good business. Because they didn't accept returns.
Lining the shelves was, quite literally, everything you could think of. I walked past a bunch of people inside plastic boxes, and did a double-take. The label on the shelf said "Husbands", and farther down, "Wives". I was moving on, when I suddenly thought "Oh! I should pick one up for Cindy. She's always talking about the kind of guy she wants, so selecting one should be easy." The boxes listed the respective merits of the people inside. I went down the line until I found one that was just what she had always told me she wanted. The box said "Kind, handsome, and industrious with a mischievous streak." He was handsome, too: mussed-up brown hair, nice eyes, and an amazing smile. She'd absolutely love him. I tipped him into the cart and kept walking.
As I walked, the things on the shelves would remind me of other friends. There was something called "Beauty in a Box" for Gloria; a quiet, unassuming girl who had always talked about how badly she wanted to be beautiful. She really didn't look bad at all though. I guess she was her own harshest critic.
When I finally reached the checkout line, my cart was overflowing. There were PhD's, fathers, careers, fame, cars, and many, many other things. As I left the store, I was elated thinking of how happy my friends would be when they saw all of my purchases.
I went to Cindy's house first. I left her husband in the car and bounced up and down with excitement as I waited for her to come to the door. "Who is it?" She yelled from inside. "It's me!" I called back. "I've brought something you've been waiting for your whole life!" She opened the door and gave me an odd look. I called "Brad" (that was what the box said his name was) out of the car. He came up the walkway with a huge grin on his face. Cindy squealed so loud that it made my ears ring. She ran off the porch in her socks and nearly knocked him over. As I left, the last thing I heard her say was "Finally I can be happy!"
I drove around town, leaving my purchases with their new owners. Gloria gave me the biggest hug ever. In fact, everyone had pretty much the same reaction. They all said how they had always wanted this, and how happy it would make them. I went home with the greatest feeling.
It didn't last long.
Gloria stopped by the next night. "Hey!" I said. "You look great!" She frowned. "I just feel so gross", she said. "Some of the looks I get make me shiver inside. I want to crawl under a table." I knew she wasn't the type to wear clothes that invited those looks. "But," I said, "You know you aren't doing anything wrong, right? That's just what people do." She sighed. "That doesn't make me feel any less gross. I just... I don't know. I feel so unsettled."
Two weeks later, Gloria called me on the phone crying. At first I didn't know what was wrong, but she eventually calmed down enough to tell me. "He just liked me for the way I looked!" She said. "He never really loved me." I paused. "Couldn't you tell?" I asked. "I mean, when you were together, didn't he do something to tip you off?" "No!" She sobbed. "I thought he loved me for me." I tried to assure her that not all guys were like that, but my words felt really hollow. How could she tell the difference? She couldn't see into their hearts, she only knew what they told her. And they told her any old thing, just to get what they wanted. I hung up the phone that night feeling really down. Life would chew you up and spit you out, if you let it. She was so sweet, so trusting... and that could be her downfall.
I went to visit Cindy about a week later. She answered the door looking distracted. I peeked around her shoulder. "Where's Brad?" I asked. Her face fell. "He's... well, we're separated." "What? How? I mean... why? Isn't he what you wanted?" She looked at the ground. "Yes, but... well, no. I'm not sure married life is for me anymore." My mind was swirling around as I drove home. She had been so sure that she wanted to get married. In fact, that was really the only thing she had ever talked about wanting. But how could anyone be sure they wanted something if they'd never had it before?
It ended up being pretty much the same story for everyone on my list. The guy who got the PhD discovered that it really hadn't done him any good. The twins who got fame found themselves craving privacy. And every single person who got the career they "wanted", discovered that their new job wasn't something that they wanted to do for the rest of their lives.
The store that had the "Everything" aisle ended up doing a very good business. Because they didn't accept returns.