Kurt Vonnegut described this semi-autobiographical tale, written in honor of his wife, as a sickeningly slick love story. A satire of the “love at first sight” romance cliché, it describes how, after a platonic friendship of almost twenty years, a single expression of love and two kisses is all it takes for Catharine to question her plans to marry another man and fall into Newt’s arms. Themes include communication (failure to express/discuss their feelings sooner), taking people for granted (Newt didn’t appreciate how much Catharine meant to him until almost losing her!), and fighting for what is important in life.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (1,891 words)
Video Version
There are several video versions of this story available on the Internet. This 2014 film adaption directed by Jessica Hester is not only quite faithful to the original story, but has the best video quality. Watch and enjoy!