Host: Hello, everyone! Today we have the pleasure of welcoming two very special guests to our stage, Theo Ramirez and Mara Delaney! They've graciously agreed to sit down with us and share a little about their unique connection. Welcome, Theo and Mara!
(Theo and Mara sit on a large sofa, looking at the readers who want to know more about them)
Theo: Hey, guys... (gulping.)
Mara: Just chill, man. It's just an interview for fun, what's the problem?
Theo: I mean, is it okay?
Mara: Yes, it is. Don't worry, the questions they will ask are not strange either. I hope...
Question 1: The Introduction
Host: Okay, for the first question. When and where did you two first meet? And what was your first impression of each other?
Theo: Oh, that's easy. It was… an interesting introduction. I was walking downtown after a library visit, minding my own business, probably zoned out with my headphones on, when suddenly there were sirens and yelling. Next thing I know, I'm on the ground, being told to put my hands up, and there she was – Officer Mara Delaney. My first impression? Intimidating, but also… strangely calm. And observant. She saw right through my nervous student act. She even noticed my books and headphones.
Mara: [Chuckles softly, a tired smirk playing on her lips] "Intimidating." I was doing my job. He was a kid, looking completely lost in the middle of a protest, clutching a stack of books. My first impression was "Library boy who needs to pay more attention." But also, he was genuine. He wasn't trying to be something he wasn't. Just a nervous student caught in the wrong place.
Question 2: The "First Date"
Host: Where did you go on your first date, and how did it go? Did anything funny or memorable happen?
Theo: See, this is where we disagree! My actual first attempt at a "date" was in my head, right after our second meeting. I wrote a note on my phone, "Do you want to get coffee sometime?" and then realized I had no way to send it. So, my first real "first date" was probably that community event where she was handing out coffee. I showed up because my friend Kareem dragged me, but secretly hoping I'd see her. She called me "Library boy" again and then roped me into handing out soup. It wasn't a date, but it felt like the start of something.
Mara:[Raises an eyebrow at Theo] First date? Theo, we were literally handing out soup to strangers. That was a community outreach event, not a date. Our first intentional meeting, if you could call it that, was at the café Q&A. He asked some surprisingly insightful questions, and then waited for me outside. That's when we made the "coffee shop rule." We had coffee. That was the first "thing." It went… quietly. He brought The Alchemist as a prop.
Theo: Hey! It worked, didn't it?
Question 3: What You Like Most
Host: What do you like most about each other?
Theo: I like that Mara doesn't waste words. Every sentence has weight. She doesn't perform for anyone. She just… is. And she really listens. Not like most adults, who just wait for their turn to talk. She truly hears you. It's humbling.
Mara: Theo has this way of seeing things. He's always observing, always thinking, even when he's lost in his own head. And he's got this quiet persistence. He shows up. He doesn't give up on trying to understand, even when it's uncomfortable. And he's surprisingly funny, even when he's trying to be serious.
Theo: I try. You just have a very high bar for humor.
Mara: I do.
Question 4: What You Dislike Most
Host: What do you dislike most about each other?
Theo: Sometimes Mara is too quiet. Like, she'll just sit there and you have no idea what she's thinking. It can be hard to read her. And she pushes people away. She has this wall she puts up.
Mara: Theo zones out too much. He's got his head in the clouds and misses things that are happening right in front of him. And sometimes, he overthinks everything.
Theo: Says the woman who keeps a box of "things that made me or broke me."
Mara: That's different. That's my business.
Question 5: Animal Comparison
Host: If you had to describe your partner as an animal, what would it be and why?
Theo: Mara… hmm. A lone wolf. Strong, independent, watchful. She doesn't need a pack, but she's fiercely loyal to the people she lets in. And she has that quiet intensity about her.
Mara: Theo is… a very earnest, slightly bewildered owl. He's always watching, always taking things in, always analyzing. And he's probably thinking about some deep, philosophical concept while everyone else is just trying to find their keys.
Theo: An owl? Really?
Mara: A wise owl. With perpetually worried eyebrows.
Question 6: The Unspoken Language
Host: You both mentioned a lot about unspoken understandings, quiet moments, and listening without needing to fix. What is it about your connection that allows for so much to be communicated without words?
Theo: I think it's because we both appreciate presence. Mara taught me that. She doesn't judge the silences; she lets them be. And that creates a space where you don't need words to feel understood. You just… are. It's like we both have a lot going on internally, and we recognize that in each other without having to articulate it all.
Mara: He doesn't try to fill the space out of obligation, and neither do I. We allow each other to be messy, to be quiet, to be whatever we need to be in that moment. There's a trust there that goes beyond conversation. It's in the showing up, consistently. That's where the real understanding happens.
Question 7: Pop Culture
Host: Alright, let's switch gears a bit. We're going to dive into the wonderful world of pop culture!
Host: Theo, as someone who spends a lot of time with books, if you could choose one fictional world from any book, movie, or TV show to live in for a month, which one would it be and why?
Theo: Hmm, that's a really tough question. Like, I read a lot of books... but if I had to pick a fictional world to live in for a month, it would probably be the Tomb Raider world, specifically the Croft Mansion. I mean, that house has a lot of books. Imagine living in a house full of books. You'd be satisfied, right?
Mara: I wouldn't be able to stand living in a house full of books. I know you told me that when we were hanging out together. But honestly, I'd be bored. I need to socialize.
Theo: Said the person who only chats with students.
Mara: (Elbowing Theo) Hey!
Host: And Mara, you're out there interacting with the public every day. What's one song or artist that, no matter how many times you hear it, always seems to be playing everywhere you go?
Mara: Maybe CL's 'Hello Bitches'. It makes me feel more confident, especially when I have to meet my subordinates. But sometimes I choose various songs.
Theo: So you consider your men to be bitches who thrash around on the streets?
Mara: Not my answer.
Host: Okay, let's move on to the last question!
Question 8: Five Years From Now
Host: Where do you see yourselves in five years? Together or apart? And what will your life be like?
Theo: Together. Definitely together. I don't know what it will look like exactly, but I see us still having our coffees, still talking, still learning from each other. Maybe she'll finally let me read her notebook. I think our lives will be richer for having each other in them, regardless of the path.
Mara: Together. He'll probably still be showing up late, and I'll probably still be ordering his coffee wrong. But we'll be there. I see us navigating whatever comes, still finding quiet moments and still being present for each other. Life will be… complicated, but less heavy.
Conclusion
Host: Theo and Mara, thank you both for this incredibly insightful and honest interview. Your connection is truly unique, and we wish you all the best!