Whose Business is It Anyway?

A few weeks ago my daughter and I were talking about one of her favorite movies…and musicals. We were talking about Legally Blonde. I’ve seen both, and as the grandson of a hairdresser, my favorite scene was in the courtroom when…oh wait…some of you haven’t seen it yet, and far be it from me to spoil it for you by telling you that Rosebud is the sled.

Anyway, we were talking about Legally Blonde, and my thoughts turned to the relationship between the recently murdered billionaire Hayworth Windham, his much younger wife Brooke, and his adult daughter Chutney (from a previous marriage).

There was a lot of cynicism about the marriage between Brooke and Hayworth, with the usual snarky comments about the gold-digging younger woman only going after the rich guy for one thing. And yet, we find out in a private conversation that his money wasn’t the attribute she found most impressive about him.

Still, though, many people who weren’t privy to what actually went on in the relationship…and couldn’t possibly be inside either of their heads…ascribed the worst motives to the behaviors of each of them. She couldn’t possibly love him; after all he was so old. And him…what could he possibly see in someone that young…besides a hot body? Shame on him! She was obviously using him for his money and/or he was obviously only using her for sex.

There was also no love lost between Chutney and Brooke. Chutney felt the same about Brooke as most of the cynics, and hated seeing her father with someone who was roughly her own age.

But here’s the important question: Was it really anyone’s business but Brooke and Hayworth’s?

Really…was it?

Say what you will about what it may have looked like to you; if Brooke made Hayworth happy, was it any of Chutney’s business? Is it even any of our business?

Some people might argue that Brooke didn’t really love him, and was just pretending, in order to get at his money. But folks, if she acted like she loved him, and if that pretense made him happy, shouldn’t that be enough? Shouldn’t it be enough that she made him happy?

Oh, but some people might argue that if he was happy, he was happy for the “wrong reasons”, and that he should know “the truth.” But despite what the Bible says, the truth doesn’t always set you free. Sometimes it makes you miserable.

Besides…maybe what you think is “the truth” isn’t quite so true after all.

But getting back to the point, even if Brooke was using him, and putting up a pretty good act; if that “act” made him happy, shouldn’t that be enough?

Even if Chutney found their relationship embarrassing and distasteful; if Brooke made her father happy, shouldn’t that be enough? Shouldn’t she want him to be happy? Aside from possibly having to split the inheritance, if Brooke wasn’t mistreating him, what business of it was hers, really?

Yes, the story of Hayworth, Brooke, and Chutney has me wondering why so many of us tend to stick our noses into other people’s relationships because we don’t like it, or because we find it distasteful. And let me say right now that relationships where there’s abuse, or other serious problems, are totally different situations. But if the other person is simply the “wrong” age, ethnic group, religion, sex, height, hair color, whatever…as long as he or she makes our friend or family member happy, shouldn’t that be enough? Shouldn’t we be glad that our friend or family member has this person in their lives?

Or are we so selfish and closed-minded that we’d rather have our friend or family member be lonely?

Even when there’s no billion-dollar inheritance involved.