Page 81 of Maybe in Another Life

“Why does that matter? Lots of people don’t have a favorite movie.”

“But, like, even for the purposes of the conversation, I can’t justpickone. I can’t just decide on a movie to say is my favorite.”

“I hope it isn’t news to you that you’re indecisive.”

I laugh. “Henry says that you don’t needtheanswer. You just needananswer.”

“Henry, Henry, Henry,” Gabby says, laughing at me. We come to an intersection in the hallway, and I veer left. I’m pretty sure the vending machines are to the left.

“Hardy-har-har, but I’m asking an honest question,” I tell her. I’m still pushing myself down the hall. I’ve still got the strength to keep going.

“What are you actually asking me?”

“Do you think it’s true that you don’t need the perfect answer but just, you know,ananswer?”

“To your favorite movie, yes. But sometimes there is only one answer. So I don’t think this is a universal philosophy.”

“Like what?”

“Like who you marry, for one. That’s the biggest example that comes to mind.”

“You think there is only one person for everyone?”

“You don’t?” The way she asks me this, it’s as if it has never occurred to her that I might not. I might as well have said, “You think we’re breathing oxygen?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “I know I did think that at one time. But... I’m not sure anymore.”

“Oh,” she says. “I guess I never considered the alternative. I just assumed, you know, God or fate or life or whatever you want to call it leads you to the person you were meant to be with.”

“That’s how you feel about Mark?”

“I think Mark is the person life led me to, yeah. He’s the only one for me. If I thought there was someone else better suited for me, why would I have married him? You know? I married him because he’s the one.”

“So he’s your soul mate?”

She thinks about it. “Yes? I mean, yeah. I guess you’d say that’s a soul mate.”

“What if you two end up getting divorced?”

“Why would you say a thing like that?”

“I’m just asking a hypothetical. If there is only one person for everyone, what happens when soul mates can’t make it work?”

“If you can’t make it work, you aren’t soul mates,” she tells me.

I hear her out. I get it. It makes sense. If you believe in fate, if you believe something is pushing you toward your destiny, that would include the person you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with. I get it.

“But not cities,” I say.

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to find the perfect city to live in. You just have to find one that will work.”

“Right,” she says.

“So I can just pick one and leave it at that,” I say. “I don’t have to test them all out until something clicks.”

She laughs. “No.”

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