Do You Love Me?
In the play “Fiddler on the Roof”, a very interesting exchange takes place between Tevya and Golde his arranged for wife of twenty-five years. Tevya had just agreed to allow his second daughter to marry for love without the benefit of Yenta, the Matchmaker. After shushing the girls off on errands, Tevya whispers,
“Golde, do you love me?”
“Do I what?”
“Do you love me?”
“Do I love you? With our daughters getting married and there is trouble in the town, your upset, your worn out, go inside, go lie down. Maybe it’s indigestion.”
“Golde, I’m asking you a question: Do you love me?”
“Your a fool.”
“I know, but do you love me?”
“Do I love you?”
“Well?”
“For twenty-five years I’ve washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned your house, given you children, milked the cow. After twenty-five years why talk about love right now?”
“Golde, the first time I met you was on our wedding day. I was scared.” “I was shy.”
“I was nervous.”
“So was I.”
“But my father and my mother said we’d learn to love each other and now I’m asking Golde, do you love me?”
“I’m your wife.”
“I know, but do you love me?”
“Do I love him. For twenty-five years I’ve lived with him, fought with him, starved with him, twenty-five years my bed is his if that’s not love what is?” “Then you love me.”
“I suppose I do.”
“And I suppose I love you too.”
It doesn’t change a thing but even so after 25 years it’s nice to know.
The morale of this exchange is in the last two lines above: It really won’t change a thing, but it really is nice to know. So if you love someone be sure and tell them. You never know when it may be too late.
