Anneke dated five Davids in a row and then married the last. The story of how she met each David is interesting, if not strange. I’ve known her for a long time. She’s a stunning Dutch woman whose appearance fits almost every blonde cliche there is.
Friends often make humorous comments about her hair colour and the line of Davids she dated. Most jokes go the same way. Dating David saved her from having to learn another guy’s name!
Blonde jokes aside, Anneke isn’t anything like the airhead archetype. No. That’s what makes any jokes about her extra funny. Anneke is an intelligent, knowledgeable career woman. She can’t be a punchline to a blonde joke. The David thing was just an unusual happenstance.
I met Anneke at the end of my high school years. At the time, she was studying at university and dating David Mason. Their relationship didn’t last. She dated three other guys, each named David. When she graduated four years later, a David McConnell came along. Two years after that, they announced their wedding date. They now have two children, a nice home and a warm, fuzzy future ahead.
So why choose David? What’s so special about this name? Was there something in his name that attracted her to him?
She says it was a pure coincidence. That’s all.
That may be so, but many say science plays its role in situations like these. There’s something inside us that takes over when it comes to selecting our mates. We choose our partners based on their shape, personality, eye colour, intellect, and even voice. Why not choose someone over their name?
And if DNA influences our decision-making, Anneke was always going to marry a David. It was her destiny. Any old-fashioned romantic would be happy with that answer, but looking closer, there’s also something unsatisfying about this reasoning.
I’d like to believe that our future isn’t written – that we’re free to choose things, like our partners. We decide, completely, freely. Predetermined destiny suggests that every fork in a road isn’t a fork at all. We see two options, but our path is already set. There is only one route. Choice is an illusion. All we do is walk to the plan.
Unsettling much?
Okay, DNA shapes parts of our behaviour. It drives our tastes, likes, dislikes, how we feel, and what we do and think. But DNA isn’t the only force pushing or pulling us along. Our upbringing also plays a role. Perhaps there was a David in Anneke’s early life who brought her so much love and kindness that his soul became imprinted onto her childhood psyche. DNA called for a certain type of man, but memory gave him a name.
As an adult, she went looking for her special David until she found the right one. She required his security. Mrs David McConnell may or may not have been her destiny.
There is Anneke’s explanation. It could be a total coincidence.
If that’s the case, then I’m due to win the lottery. If Anneke can score five Davids in a row without some kind of outside influence guiding it, then I can become a millionaire tomorrow. 🙂
Anneke and David are written into my novel SEETHINGS. It’s dark adult fiction with a few existential debates like this one. Do we have freedom of choice or not? For some of us, the struggle to find an acceptable, equitable answer is intriguing, challenging, and for some, frustratingly unsatisfying.
–Michael Forman (Author of Dark Adult Fiction)
SEETHINGS promises a gripping psychological thriller that blends murder, passion, and secrets of a sexless marriage. Forman’s vivid prose draws readers into a world where lightning illuminates the skies and hidden truths. As the storm clouds gather, Mitchell’s journey promises to unravel more than just the mystery of the murders.
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