Honeymoon

The newlyweds took an all-inclusive honeymoon at a tourist resort in Mexico, where they went down a zip line over the beach, and Brad learned of Elly’s fear of swimming. The bond they had made the moment they met deepened. Anything that could provoke marital conflict was  a ripple on the surface of a deep love, which made Brad muse that they had known each other in a past life.

He told her about his childhood dreams of a girl born in a faraway land, and how she might be the one that made the dreams come true. She loved it and thought it was romantic. She believed in reincarnation, after all she was raised in the Buddhist tradition. They shared the idea that they had a past life together and were destined to meet.  It felt special. But the talk ran its course, and there were no revelations. Elly said that if they had a past life together, it was not going to be remembered now, and Brad couldn’t argue with that.

Their life became a pleasant routine, and Brad prospered from Elly’s nurturing and frugality. He worked harder, saving to ensure that they would enjoy the future together. Then they went to Japan to spend a week at the home of the Yamashita family, making their bed where several generations had lived, loved, and passed on.