I don’t usually take much notice of old couples. Well, let’s be honest, I don’t usually take much notice of old people in general. It’s nothing prejudicial, it’s just that I don’t have much in common with them except that we’re all homo sapiens sapiens, and I’m not going to apologize for finding H. s. sapiens closer to my age more interesting.

But today, as I was walking to the grocery store, I noticed a couple walking in the opposite direction. They were probably in their early 60s, so they were still quite robust. He was wearing a yellow and gray ski jacket, she was wearing a red parka. They looked like they belonged on “What Not To Wear.”

But that’s not what struck me about them. They were walking side by side, holding hands, matching each other’s strides.
And it made me think of Phoebe’s line from Friends: “He’s her lobster!”

According to Phoebe, lobsters find a mate for life, and when they’re old, they walk around their tank holding claws. While this claim is highly doubtful, it feels like it could be true. Up until a couple years ago, I believed that it was. I thought that if I could just find my Lobster, I would be content for the rest of my life. My Lobster would be there for me, holding my hand tightly, even when I started looking more and more like a corpse.

Then, life happened. Destroyed my only pair of rose-tinted glasses. I haven’t been the same since. I’m no longer a loyal advocate of the True Love theory. I don’t even know if I believe in happy endings anymore. And quite frankly, I don’t like seafood.

But today, I saw two lobsters holding each other’s claws, walking side by side towards their future, come what may. And a piece of my heart fell back into place.