Leonor: We began our honeymoon by driving to a rustic cabin in Cape Cod. On the way, the bicycle rack broke and damaged my bicycle. I was secretly relieved, because I really didn’t want to ride bicycles. I told Ed not to worry; he could ride all he wanted while I stayed at the cabin. What I didn’t say was that I felt nervous about riding, and I’d rather visit some small shops and eat at a waterfront restaurant.
Ed: I found a repair shop and fixed Leonor’s bike. I imagined us exploring and having fun on our bicycles together. We caught the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. I thought we could ride the 25 miles around the island and get back in time to grill up a nice romantic dinner.
Leonor: Halfway around the island, my seat was hurting and my legs were burning. I didn’t want to rock the boat, so I said I was “OK” when Ed asked how I felt.
Ed: On the way back to the cabin, we bought pain medication and muscle ointment. Leonor took the medicine and fell asleep. While she slept, I grilled our romantic dinner. When I tried to wake her, she started crying and said, “Don’t touch me; I hurt all over!” This was not the honeymoon I imagined.
Leonor: This wasn’t the last time we were disappointed during a trip. We asked a married couple we admired for advice. They helped us learn that disappointments often happen when you don’t talk about your expectations. So we tried talking about our honest expectations BEFORE our vacations. Doing this helped us better enjoy those vacations as well as other events. Today, riding bicycles still reminds us of our honeymoon. We just look at each other, smile and keep riding together.
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Leonor “Leo” and Ed Rivera are members of the local Worldwide Marriage Encounter community. To learn more about Worldwide Marriage Encounter, visit www.wwme.org. The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend is Nov. 20-22 at Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua. To read more of Leo and Ed’s blogs, visit https://catholiccourier.com/viewpoints/blogs/to-have-and-to-hold.
