The Beauty and the Smart One

Here is a true story. It has spawned many jokes and much hilarity, but this story is 100% true. I promise.

My sister used to have a boyfriend whom I shall call Ron. I’ve made that name up because, well, you’ll see why he would probably not want this story out there with his real name on it.

The back-story you should know is that my sister is extremely smart. I mean, high-IQ-brilliant; she is amazingly intelligent. I’m not an idiot (most of the time), but Susan has me beat by a country mile. She is REALLY smart. She’s also very pretty and always has been pretty.

Ron is also really smart. Mostly.

One day when Susan and Ron were in their early 20s, Susan was at Ron’s apartment and they had an intellectual discussion of some sort. I’m pretty sure she told me back then what the discussion entailed, but that was many years ago and I don’t remember anymore. (I’m not that smart.) The important thing is not what they were discussing, but that it was on the intellectual level of what we used to call Rocket Science. Real brainiac stuff.

So they had this great conversation and later that day, Ron said to Susan, “You know, I am so glad we are together. It is very refreshing to find a girl who can talk about anything, and who understands difficult concepts and has a good brain. I mean, you are just incredibly intelligent!! I love talking with you.”

Susan was, of course, pretty pleased to hear all that.

There was a pause, and then Ron said thoughtfully, “And, of course, you’re also moderately attractive.”

Do you see why “Ron” wouldn’t want his real name attached to this?! Poor, clueless guy! 

Susan took his assessment very calmly and said nothing. When she got home later, she called me and, laughing hysterically, told me this story. Then we both laughed hysterically.

I didn’t think it was fair for her to be brilliant and me (not being brilliant at all) to have no claim to fame, so we agreed that henceforth we would acknowledge Susan as being brilliant and moderately attractive and me as being beautiful and moderately intelligent. We’ve stuck with that agreement ever since.

Since this is such an old in-joke with us, we often bring up our respective moderate-nesses to each other when appropriate (for example, when she’s kicking my behind at Bananagrams™, I’ll say to the other players, “Well, of course Susan’s beating me; she’s brilliant and I’m moderately intelligent.”). We still laugh hysterically. Most of our mutual friends and acquaintances have heard one of us say something to the other about being moderately attractive or moderately intelligent and at their curious looks, we tell them this story. Oh my goodness, the shocked faces!! I cannot tell you how many people have immediately asked if Susan continued to date Ron after that, and have then been horrified to hear that she did, indeed, date him for a pretty long time and that they are still good friends to this day.

Yup, true story.

Here are some photos of beauty and brilliance, together, through the years. I love my brilliant, beautiful sister!