Stage Fright

In relationships, there are many stages: There’s the honeymoon stage. There’s the “we” stage. These two are probably the most annoying for other people. Then, there come the latter, more comfortable stages. The sure sign of deep commitment is the ultimate (though not necessarily the last) stage when one of the partners is completely comfortable with ... oh, I don't know ... going to the bathroom while the other is present.

The stages are important because they indicate essential characteristics of the relationship. At times, it’s helpful to remember in which stage the couple may find itself. This is the first time that I have been in a relationship when I could not tell explicitly that we had finally left the “honeymoon” period.

I am still deeply enamored with Daniel. I still want to be with him all the time. This is normal; we’ve been together for two months now. The problem is that we’re fighting. Not now, but more often that we'd like. Every three weeks, it seems that something comes up. We drive each other crazy. At times, it’s clear that we work well. At other times, we’re wondering what we have in common.

This is never easy. At first, I thought that I knew Daniel was it. Now, I worry. Perhaps we don’t work as well as we thought. The little things that we once considered insignificant are starting to make me worry. I shouldn’t. I am grateful for Daniel. Overall, I am happy. Like so many, I am hesitant to make such an investment. I’m afraid.

It’s odd, really. We’re still getting used to each others’ developing nuances. He is very secretive in ways that I have never imagined. I've learned that few good things issue from the secret lives of men. He’s open, however, with so much that I’d feel should remain unknown, like ... oh, I don't know ... when he is going to the bathroom.