“And they lived happily ever after....
”. All of us have either had fairy tales read to us as child or have either watched movies that have the same affect on our thought process. In the story, “The Love of My Life”, it is obvious that the two teenagers' love for each other colors everything around them. It also colors how they view life.
You will see how their misconceptions of life have come about. The story tells of two teenagers' concept of a perfect world. Then their perfect world comes crashing down due to carelessness and life suddenly looks different.Reality sets in, but only to one of them. China and Jeremy are consumed with each other. They are inseparable and seemed to live life to the fullest.
“They wore each other like a pair of socks. ” (Boyle, 381). With no boundaries set by their parents, they made their own rules. It would appear by the descriptive, planned time together that they saw life was to be like it is played out on television or in the movies.A romanticized view of a perfect life when you are in love. She kept thinking of the way it was in the movies, where the stars ambushed each other on beds the size of small planets and then did it again and again until they lay nestled in a heap of pillows and blankets, her head on his chest, his arm flung over her shoulder, the music fading away to individual notes plucked softly on a guitar and everything in the frame glowing as if it had been sprayed with liquid gold.
That was how it was supposed to be. ” (Boyle, 381). The two of them have their lives mapped out. Their good grades have paid off. Both are getting into good colleges.
China obsessed with being better than some in her class. Even though she got accepted to the college of her choice, she still views herself better than some. She strives to achieve that status, because that's the way it should be in her mind. Jeremy tries to get her to relax and live life. So they planned a trip to spend five uninterrupted days together.
They found a lake on the map and planned to camp away from everything and everyone. “Free at last”(Boyle, 383). They had always been careful when it came to sex.They were both in agreement that they were not like the ones they called breeders. The breeders overpopulating and overpopulated world and ruining their own lives in the process-”(Boyle, 384). The allure of the romantic camping trip takes over their common sense.
China had forgotten her birth control and Jeremy had only a couple of condoms. They were so wrapped up into each other. They went without clothing, shared a sleeping bag (when they slept) and citing love poems to each other. Just like it was supposed to be when you were in love.
They threw caution into the wind. Safe sex was pushed to the back of their minds, because everything was perfect.They are in love and together just as it should be. All too soon, China and Jeremy are at their colleges but their lives are not quite playing out as the movies portray. China is pregnant.
Suddenly the fantasy world they've lived in is not so perfect. He wants her to get an abortion. She refuses to let anyone know of their mistake. She hides her pregnancy by wearing baggy clothes and refuses medical care. She refuses to accept the fact that she was just like the ones she termed as breeders. She would not even discuss the situation with him.
Gone are the loving looks, the romantic poems and the love both spoken and assumed. They have arguments now. Jeremy sees China in a different light. “She was spoiled, he could see that now, spoiled by parents,and their standard of living and the socioeconomic expectations of her class-of his class- and the promise of life as you like it” (Boyle,385). They discussed the arrangements for when she was to give birth and agreed to meet at the motel when the time came.
When they arrived there, gone are the big smiles and kisses they have always exchanged.The romantic interludes and loving talks turn to silence. Try as best as he could, Jeremy was not the supporter and helper during the birthing that China had expected him to be. Memories of making love, laughing, dancing and happiness are now replaced with memories of blood, tissue and that thing covered with mucus. The thing he disposed of in the dumpster. Their mistake was dealt with.
The police arrive to arrest him. China is under arrest in hospital. Charges of murder were made. They denied any wrong doing. Claimed to have dealt with their problem and it was of no concern to anyone else.Their parents were in disbelief, upset and outraged.
They could not understand why they did this or why did they not come to them. “What were you thinking, for Christ's sake? ” (Boyle,388). Reality now consists of life in jail, being made fun of and her face on the front page of every newspaper. Gone are the affectionate names they used to exchange, replaced with her new name of “'Motel Mom'” (Boyle,389). Planned times alone are now replaced by a trial, sentence and imprisonment. Their freedom is replaced with house arrest and an ankle bracelet.
For Jeremy, reality shows him life in a different light.Gone is the life he had envisioned for himself. “life in dorms, roommates, bar, bullshit sessions, the smell of burning leaves and the way the light fell across campus in great wide smoking bands just before dinner, the unofficial skateboard club, films, lectures, pep rallies,football-” (Boyle, 385). He no longer sees the fairy-tale love. He tries hard to remember the way China looked before it all came to a crashing end.
But all he could see in his mind was the scenes of a horror movie. No longer able to picture China, the love of his life. The only image was of that thing he disposed of.China, on the other hand, sits in her room hating the season, the holidays and spring break. She still trying to live in her fairy-tale world.
She spends her time remembering life before their mistake. She is still clinging to the idea that everything will be just fine. She pictures herself in Jeremy's arms in her mind. “He was Jeremy. He was the love of her life.
And she closed her eyes and clung to him as if that were all that mattered. ” (Boyle, 391). If they could be together, everything will be perfect once again. They are in love and that conquers it all.
These two teenagers believed themselves in love. They viewed life as they saw played out in the movies or on television. Like many teenagers in love, they live and breathe for each other and had plans their futures. The perfect life all mapped out. One reckless week of their lives changed their lives forever. Love does not conquer all.
Life is not a fairy-tale. Mistakes happen, even to those who believe themselves of higher standard. Some people learn from them and some do not or choose not to. Then there are some who are unable to tell the difference between fairy-tale and reality.
