“Exactly!”
“You’ve lost me.”
“I’m not answering your question very well, am I?”
Mother Nature shook her head. “Not so far, but what I’ve learned about humans is I should probably just wait until you explain it in a way I’ll comprehend, and we can talk until it makes sense. I don’t need space. I need to understand what the secret is to staying together.”
Gabriella brightened. “See? You just did it. You just told me you needed clarification. And you didn’t need to walk away or get angry. That’s a big part of successful communication. Just being honest and explaining how you feel, what you need, as well as what you’re thinking. If the other person understands where you’re coming from, they can correct any misunderstanding or miscommunication.”
“Okay. I think I get it. So I should just treat Aaron as I would treat you or anyone who was trying to help me.”
Gabriella reached over and took her hand. “Yes. And don’t forget to use those three little words…”
“I love you?”
Gabriella grinned. “Those too, when appropriate, but I was talking about ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ Be grateful for the times when he helps you or encourages you to do or keep doing something important to you. Or even when he just does his own job.”
Gaia looked down at their clasped hands. “Now I’m confused again.”
Gabriella heaved a sigh. “I apologize, I’m not explaining myself well. But thank you for being patient with me.”
“All right. I think I get it. You’re expressing gratitude for my…well, I don’t know what I’m doing, but it sounds like I’m doing something right.”
Gabriella let out her tinkling laugh. “Yes, you are. And actually, it’s really quite simple. Let me just say this: treat each other with respect. That’s all.”
“That’s all?”
“Basically, that’s what it all boils down to. Like, love, and respect.”
Mother Nature nodded slowly, gazing out at the meadow. “All right, I think I understand. But I may have some difficulty with that. To be honest, I haven’t given human beings much respect in the past.”
Gabriella patted her knee. Gaia looked down at the hand touching her. It seemed as if Gabriella was comfortable around her. That was new too. All these new thoughts and experiences, well…they were comforting, confusing, and sometimes downright baffling.
Gabriella straightened her posture. “There’s one more thing.”
Gaia quickly focused on her and paid attention.
“Forgiveness. A successful relationship requires endless forgiveness.”
“Endless, like they’re never going to stop needing forgiveness?”
Gabriella chuckled but nodded. “Unless you change our basic makeup, human beings are never going to stop making mistakes. Hopefully, with age and maturity, those mistakes become fewer and farther between. I know they have been for Antonio and me.”
“Okay. So any time Aaron makes a mistake, I need to forgive him. No matter what he does?”
Gabriella nodded. “Yes. But don’t tell him that.”
Gaia leaned over and dropped her head in her hands. “Gawd. I’m never going to get this.”
Gabriella put an arm around her and gave her a side squeeze. “Relax. You’ll get it. Like, love, respect. That’s all you have to remember.”
“So what if I love and respect him, but he does something I don’t like? Or I do something he doesn’t like? Does that ruin the whole ‘like, love, respect’ thing?”
“No. But if you’re in a committed relationship, you wouldn’t need to worry so much. You can rely on love. You can dislike the other’s actions without losing the love between you. You can love him and not like what he does. Do you understand what I mean by that?”
Gaia thought a minute. “Oh yes. There was that time when he didn’t trust me. I didn’t like that, but that didn’t mean I didn’t likehim. I liked him a lot, and that was why his not trusting me hurt.”
“Exactly! You’ve got it. Love always, and like thepersonif not always the behavior. And about respect…that’s how you treat each other, no matter what.”
