Tiny Love Stories: ‘I Taught Her How to Amputate a Leg’
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Version 0 of 1. David was washing dishes after supper, his back to me, when we decided to get married. Throughout our 17 years together I had resisted the idea, not wanting to surrender authority to the church or to the state, both of which had opposed our marriage for centuries. Once more, I asked David why he wanted to wed. “Because it would bring me joy,” he replied, and that settled that. — David Jenkins In the kitchen of our community’s Sikh Temple in California’s Central Valley, people of every creed, color and class are welcome to enjoy a free meal. Everyone eats while seated on the floor; no one is higher or lower than his or her neighbor. I watch in awe as my grandmother, Kulwant Kaur, kneads a mound of dough. When the naan is done, a teenage boy picks up a perfectly cooked piece, bows his head in gratitude and embraces my grandmother. In a socially divided world, food unifies. — Henna Hundal I was a surgical resident; she was a medical student. We shook hands, had lunch, flirted. I taught her how to amputate a leg and put in a chest tube. We had our first date two weeks later. Sauvignon blanc with dinner and Milanos for dessert in the misty rain. Big thunderstorm that night. Together ever since we awoke the next morning. — Robert Topper My best friend’s husband said he had something for me, then handed over a bag of Ilyse’s makeup. Eye shadow had broken open, pinkish-purple dust coating the contents. He said, “Damn it, I should’ve been more careful with it. I hope there’s something you can use.” It took him three years after she died to part with this. He doesn’t know that makeup expires, or that people shouldn’t wear each other’s. Later, my husband said, “Throw that away.” I did, but the next day, while alone, I fished the bag from the garbage. Ilyse’s eyeliner is my shade. I’m wearing it now. — Suzanne Roberts See more Tiny Love Stories at nytimes.com/modernlove. Submit yours at nytimes.com/tinylovestories. Sign up for Love Letter to get a weekly dose of real stories that examine the highs, lows and woes of relationships. Watch the trailer for the Modern Love TV show, coming to Amazon Prime Video on Oct. 18; listen to the Modern Love Podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music; check out the updated anthology “Modern Love: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption;” follow Modern Love on Facebook. |