Saturday, May 27, 2006

Provo, Utah

I sit in The Smokehouse Pizza & BBQ in Provo and listen to a young couple argue over marriage. They are younger than I am, which is to say: too young to be married.

—I'm not sure I want to be with you forever, he tells her.

—So why didn't you stay single for longer? she asks.

They sit in silence. I fiddle with my camera to capture a candid of them and accidentally reformat the memory card, losing all my pictures for the day. As I pay the waitress, the couple still isn't talking.

When the Mormons say forever, they mean it. I'm not completely clear on the theology, but they certainly believe that families are reunited in the Celestial Kingdom, so you truly are married for eternity. And I should know: I've seen the Joseph Smith movie/hagiography/propaganda at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City.

One would think, then, that the church would push for later marriage, since your mistakes last forever. But Provo, home to Brigham Young University, seems to have more bridal stores than bookstores.







1 comment:

Anonymous said...

HMMMM....bridal shops and a plethora of massage ads....not sure what that says, but it does seem to be opposite ends of the spectrum....

Enjoying your comments and pictures. Hope the car is performing nicely.