Here We Are
By Dorothy Parker, first published in Cosmopolitan
On the train ride to their honeymoon, young newlyweds bicker over inconsequential issues that appear as though will never be resolved.
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Plot Summary
A recently wedded young couple board a train after their wedding to get to their honeymoon, sitting and reflecting on the idea of marriage. The bride thinks it's crazy that people get married all the time, and downplay how big of a deal it actually is. The groom assures her that everything will go great for them, and to not worry about others' experiences because they will be happy. They discuss how beautiful the bridesmaids looked. The groom remarks that one of them, Louise, was especially breathtaking. He admits he didn’t look at the other, Ellie, who is the bride's sister. The bride says it makes her feel awful knowing that he dislikes her sister and rants about how he won't want her family to visit them at their new apartment. The groom reassures her that he will love to have them around. He comforts her and says everything feels chaotic now but will work out. The bride promises for them to never fight. The bride takes off her hat and asks the groom if he likes the hat. He admits he preferred the style of her previous ones, which sets off the bride. She snarkily tells him to marry Louise since he always thinks she looks beautiful and would love her taste in hats. The groom frustratingly retorts that she should have married Joe Brooks, who could give her all the expensive hats she wants. The bride says Joe would not hurt her feelings or insult her clothes. The groom comments that Joe never sent a wedding present, but the bride replies that he promised to do so when he returns from his business trip. The groom is angry that the bride is writing to Joe, but the bride says he has no right to complain since he admitted he kept thinking about Louise during their wedding. The groom apologizes for what he said and says people think crazy things on their wedding day. The bride agrees. However, she admits that she hoped that they would stop bickering after they got married, but now she just feels "sort of alone." The husband reassures her they haven't started the genuine marriage experience yet, and their honeymoon will go great. When discussing what to do that night, they eventually agree to rest in their Biltmore hotel room and then do something more eventful the following day. The wife apologizes for their fight and reassures him it won't happen again. She asks the husband to pass her the hat and comments that it's a shame he doesn’t like it. The husband continues to reassure her that the hat is pretty and he loves everything she wears. He tells her that they won't have any bad starts, and they’re going to have a great honeymoon and soon become "regular old married people" together.
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