It Started with a Can Opener

Love stories start in many ways. For my parents, it began with a can opener. In honour of Valentine's Day, or if you celebrate Galentine's Day like me, please enjoy a story inspired by my parents' humble beginnings.

A woman sighs as she stands at the entrance of a busy shopping mall. As her shoes get progressively wetter, she can feel the cold dampness of her socks while people with umbrellas hurry around her, desperate to get out of the torrential rain. She looks at her watch and then up to the grey clouds obscuring the high-rise buildings above her.

Maybe I’m being stood up? She sighs again.

Her date had invited her over for dinner at his new apartment, but he misplaced his can opener during the move. Eager to make a good impression, she offered to pick one up at the mall while he did the shopping for their meal. She had spent some time in the stores comparing the various models before finally deciding on the slightly more expensive one, advertised as ‘The only can opener you’ll ever need!’

It was now almost an hour since they’d agreed to meet. She takes one last look at her watch and, gripping the can opener, she begins to walk towards the bus stop, when suddenly a slightly disheveled man appears, holding a bag of fresh produce in one hand and an umbrella in the other, with a dog standing beside him. A feeling of relief washes over her as the man apologizes and promises to explain his ordeal with his dog sitter over dinner. He lifts the umbrella politely and she ducks underneath, standing close to him as they step into the rain together.

---------

A woman stands in her kitchen and reaches into a drawer, feeling for the familiar white handle of the can opener. She grips it tightly and turns the knob, easily removing the lid off the can. A man comes up behind her and gently wraps his hands around her waist. “Not bad for 30 years,” she smiles.

---

BTS: I was taking a content marketing course and my assignment was to create a narrative behind an everyday object, in the vein of Significant Objects. I chose the 30+ year-old can opener my mom purchased for my dad in the late 1980s. To this day, it is still in perfect working condition, a testament to my parents' careful maintenance of the most simple objects and their relationship.

Icon created by Smashicons - Flaticon