When Munro describes the way that her relationship developed with the man who would become her husband, the text used and words chosen are completely devoid of romance. Consider the following when the mailman calls looking for Edie: "He said he missed me. He asked if I would like to go to Goderich, where some well-known movie was on, I forget what. So I said yes, and I went out with him for two years and he asked me to marry him, and we were engaged a year more while I got my things together, and then we did marry" (Munro, 146). If one examines this excerpt, one can see how the author uses simple, declarative statements to convey the development of the love (or the romance which is not at all romantic). They go to the movies. They date for two years. They get engaged, but don't get married right away, because of life obligations which stand in their way. Nothing about the unfolding of this union sounds terribly romantic or terribly tender. However, from the perspective of the narrator, these are the bricks which allowed them to build a solid union: to have kids, and to stay together for years and years. The simplicity and directness by which Munro relates this, one comes to understand what real love can and should look like overall, and that sometimes real love doesn't come with the rush of fanfare and romance that Edie's experience with the pilot was characterized by.

Finally, Munro demonstrates the...

Munro's story is in many ways a testament to the greater power at work, and how as individual's we're often unaware of this greater organization of the universe, until the results are right up in our face -- such as the mailman's call to Edie. Ultimately, this story demonstrates that the universe does work in mysterious ways and that the individual should have a certain amount of trust in the ways that the universe works.
In conclusion, this paper has endeavored to demonstrate the intricate journey of life and the lessons along the way. Munro shows how what can seem like love -- romance, tenderness, passion, can really just be symptoms of infatuation. Munro makes a strong case for the ordinary quality of real love, and how that love can flourish and subsist throughout the years, without the standard accoutrements that people come to think of love -- such as that whirling sense of passion. Munro demonstrates that real love can be strong, but simple. Munro's story also presents a strong case for a highly organized universe, and gently shows the reader that sometimes the thing we want most of all is not what we're supposed to have -- presenting the idea that sometimes what we go searching for is right under our noses.