There I was, absently-mindedly perusing social media, and checking my email. Suddenly one caught my eye. It asked a simple question:

Who is your favorite fictional couple, and why?

The question from Goodreads seemed straight forward, so I began to write. This was too easy, drill sergeant.

My favorite fictional couple?

Olivia and Mike, of course (Olivia’s Story: Protector of the Realm).

Why are they my favorite?

To paraphrase John Lennon – Love is what happens while you are busy making other plans.

Named Protector of the Realm by Queen Vivian, Olivia Immediately embarks on her mission. It is a simple mission, all she need do is save the world – and in the process rescue Mike, find an evil Jinn, and destroy his Atomic Bomb. While occupied by such trivialities, she falls in love with Mike. As is often the case in such matters, their friends know long before the young lovers do. Now in the interest of full disclosure, Olivia and Mike are my characters so I might be biased; however, they are my favorite fictional couple – end of the commercial.

I admit that the question really got me thinking – other than Olivia and Mike, who is my favorite fictional couple?

Since no answer immediately came to mind, I let the question percolate. You remember the stovetop coffee pot, right? Well, folks with snow on the roof will remember. For the rest, let’s just say that I slept on it. At length, all I got was a headache and a new question.

Why did I find the answer elusive?

Over the years I’ve read volumes: classics, sci-fi, adventure, and recently historical, biographical, and non-fiction.

Don’t forget the children’s books.

Yes, this grandpa has read a plethora of children’s books. Ironically, my favorite children’s fictional couple jumped right to mind. It was the adult category that gave me fits.

Therefore, let’s take an easy first step – my favorite children’s fictional couple is {drum roll please}.

Mama and Papa Bear from the Berenstain Bears series.

Over thirty years ago, these were my kid’s favorite books, and today they are my grandkids’. Upstairs we have dozens of these books, many literally read to pieces. Luckily, I’ve become quite proficient with a stapler and packing tape.

Mama and Papa make a lovely stereotypical couple. While the plots revolve around Brother and Sister Bear, Mama and Papa are the glue holding the family together. Granted, Papa Bear has a tendency to act and speak without thinking. These missteps lead to comic problems, which Mama calmly resolves. Yes, Mama and Papa Bear are my favorite kids’ fictional couple.

Now, how about the ‘serious’ adult reading? – my favorite fictional couple is – {crickets, crickets}

Well okay, this took some cogitating. As I said, my recent reading has been non-fiction and history, so I’ll have to go back some years. Perhaps I should go with one of the classics, Helena and Paris, or Romeo and Juliet? How about Cleopatra and Mark Anthony, or maybe Guinevere and Lancelot?

No, these are too old and dusty. Excellent stories, though.

Perhaps one of the 19th or 20th-century classics, Doctor Zhivago, Anna Karenina, The Remains of the Day, or Gone with the Wind?

“Frankly my dear, I don’t think so.”

No, these are too heavy.

Lighter you say.

Well, how about Ma and Pa Ingalls, or Buttercup and Wesley? I do like these stories, and the characters have humor, love, and loyalty – but still, not my favorite.

On this one, I’ll have to go with my most recently read book, The Virginian, by Owen Wister (1902).

Not a dusty old western!

It is true that Wister penned this classic in 1902. And it is true that the old west he portrayed is anathema to today’s PC considerations. His Wyoming is rough, lawless, white, and highly male dominated. Nevertheless, Wister’s Virginian set the standard for the hero cowboy; a rugged, solitary, silent man with deep convictions of right and wrong. His cowpuncher is a man of honor, unafraid to do that which is required. The Virginian – interestingly Wister never gives him a name- is bigger than life, a man’s man with a personality as large as the western sky. This singular character became the pattern for all the heroic cowpunchers that followed.

What I truly like about this story is how the man with no name sets out to make the schoolteacher love him. Undeterred by her rejections, persisting regardless of how he is received.

The other half of this couple, schoolteacher Miss Molly Stark Wood, is as different from the Virginian as the day is from night. She’s a young, refined lady, fresh from Vermont. Landing in the Wyoming territory, she finds that her unique eastern upbringing stands in stark contrast to the rough, barely tamed nature of the Virginian.

In the course of this tale of adventure and hi-jinks, Wister weaves subtle changes in their relationship. By the end, the cowpuncher wins the schoolmarm’s heart, and in turn, he is tamed. Yes, this classic love story launched the modern western. The Virginian and Miss Wood are indeed, my favorite fictional couple – after Olivia and Mike of course.

David L Dahl.

Leave me a comment, follow me on Twitter @buggasbooks, or like me on Facebook.

Read more about Olivia’s Story here – https://www.buggasbooks.com/book/olivias-story/

Read about my other books here- https://www.buggasbooks.com/other-works/

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