Our 80s Divide

Bryce Canyon, 1999

Some sentiments from the 80s strike me oh so hard when I'm sick and vulnerable. When I hear Bryan Adams sing, 'You told me this will last forever,' I look to my wife with puppy-dog eyes and longing.

Unfortunately, my wife grew up in communist Romania, and she didn't share my 80s ennui.

Sometimes I'll bust out with a false falsetto of 'Faithfully,' and take her into my arms:

'Wheels go 'round and 'round
I'm lost without....you;
They say that the road ain't no place to start a family;
Right down the line it's been you and me;
I feel the joy of re-dis-cuh-ver'in you;
Ohhh, girl, you stand, by...me;
I'm foreeeever yours.
Faithfully..."

And she'll deliver her count chocula flavored retort,

"Vut are you talking about? Vut veels? Vut road? Are ve leaving?"

To calm her down, I'll belt out my old standby:

"Ooomba oomba oomba oomba
We gotta hold on...
To what we got;
It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not;
We got each other, and that's a lot
...for love
Take my hand, we'll make it I sweaaaaaar!"

And she'll ask, 'Vut are ve? Leeving on a prayer? Vy are you seenging so loud?'

She obviously doesn't understand me, probably due to the harsh reign of Ceausescu. So I offer her the calming words of:

"There is freedom within;
There is freedom without;
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup;
There's a battle ahead;
Many battles are lost;
But you'll never reach the end of the road when you're traveling with me."

'Vut battle? Are ve fighting?"

No, sweetie, we're not fighting. This is how I tell you I love you. By repeating lyrics from the 80s. It's...

Well, it's really all I got.

"Vy do you kiss me like dees?"

I stop.

"Deed I say stop? Eet's nice...."

Unfortunately our separate upbringings have indeed come to build a wall between us. But hey now, when the world comes in...

We won't let them win.

Flashback
Warm nights
Almost left me blind