"I just can't take it anymore, Mindy. This relationship is a lost cause."
Mindy had never seen her friend look so upset. She immediately put her arm around Suparna. The college buddies were having drinks at Foley’s, a bar in Boston.
"What's wrong now?"
"We are polar opposites, Robert and me. I don't know how I can have a long-term relationship with someone who is so different from me."
"But you’ve known this, haven’t you? You've been dating for six months."
“That’s true, but it just hit me really hard today.”
“Is it the religious differences?”
“No, it's not that. I can handle that.”
“Is it the fact that Robert is non-vegetarian?”
“No, it’s not that. Two of my siblings eat meat too. It’s not a problem.”
“Then what is it?”
"Well, I thought I could get over it, but today, when he shared a link to a Fox News article, it really hit me. I saw his green text bubble on my iPhone and I thought, oh no, how can I keep dating a man who has an Android?"
Mindy gasped. "An Android? You never told me that?"
"I should have told you. I was a little embarrassed."
"Is he willing to convert?"
"Not at all. He believes that Apple is evil. He calls them the evil empire that's trying to take over the world."
Mindy shook her head. "It's Google that's trying to take over the world."
"I know. Robert has a Google Pixel 8. He keeps telling me how great the AI features are. He says that an Android gives you more flexibility, more freedom. I think he's hoping that I'll convert."
"Oh my God! I mean, you'd never do that, would you?"
"No way! My family would disown me. Everyone has iPhones."
"My family too. Except my cousin Hugo. He's the black sheep of the family."
"My father swears by the iPhone. If I told him I was dating someone with an Android, he would just about die. I know exactly what he'd say: 'This is why you should let us arrange your marriage. We will eliminate anyone who has an Android. You know what I always say: If you cannot FaceTime with them, you cannot waste time with them!'"
“Wow! A dad like that is a rare breed.”
“I know. And I don’t want to disappoint him.”
“Are you looking for some advice?”
“No, I already got some advice. I just need to follow it.”
“What was the advice?”
“It was about the importance of compatibility. Compatibility helps things run smoothly and reduces conflicts. Without compatibility, you run the risk of inferior performance and system crashes.”
“System crashes? Who gave you this advice?”
“Siri, of course. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
Mixed marriages never work.