-It certainly is beautiful out here.

-Yes, it is.

-You look beautiful.

-What was that?

-You heard me the first time.

-Would I be asking if I did?

-Uh huh. I know you heard me the first time.

-What did you say?

-I said you look beautiful out here.

-Oh, only out here?

-You know what I meant.

-No, not really. But I do feel beautiful out here. The moon reflecting off the water, it draws your eye. It makes me feel pretty, you know. It’s nice to feel pretty once in a while.

-But you’re beautiful all the time. Why would you feel pretty only now in the moonlight?

-It’s nice of you to say.

-I wouldn’t make that up.

-As I said, it’s nice of you to say. It’s something you don’t say enough, and it’s good to hear you practicing. You should try it more. It makes a girl feel all warmed inside.

-I’m not practicing—it’s what I think of you. Look, you are every bit as beautiful as the moon and water and the moon reflecting on the water. It’s crazy that you don’t see it.

- I appreciate your feeble attempts at poetry. And, for the record, I never said that I didn’t see it.

-So then you know you’re beautiful? Why did you put me through all of that? What were you trying to prove?

-It doesn’t work that way. Why do you always think I’m putting you through something? Or that everything I say is about you? You should know better than that. How I see my beauty is very complicated. And it’s not something that I can prove to you.

-I only talk empirically. You are without doubt empirically beautiful. If you like I’ll set up some experiments to determine the percentages. That way you won’t have any doubts.

-I don’t know why you think my doubts are empirical. You always think and talk empirically. I don’t feel or see based on your studies or averages. I only speak about how it really feels in my own head and through my own eyes. Not everything is external and measurable. Some things are internal.

-Well I can’t speak to your insides, but your eyes are beautiful, and through them you must see how pretty you are. Not all the moon rises in the world would compare.

-See? Now you’re just setting me up to take advantage of.

-Do you say that based on empirical evidence?

-I don’t need empirical anything to know where you’re heading with this.

-Then you wouldn’t mind helping me with my next move then.

-You’re incorrigible.

-Smart and beautiful. How did I ever get so lucky?