What we talk about when we talk about love and Beginners

I thought it was really interesting to read both versions of this story. The unedited version, "Beginners" seems more complete, but it also seems like a different story. The story told about the old couple in the accident is much longer in "Beginners". It is more obvious that their story is about true love. Their story is the center of "Beginners" because it portrays the only real love in the story. The old man is obviously in love with his life in the edited version, but his love is shown through his actions in "Beginners". He shaves and lotions before going to see his wife after the accident. When he kisses her hand, she beings crying uncontrollably. I think this is the moment that captivates the couple's pure love. In the edited version, their love is shown by the devastation the man feels when he can't see his wife, but the unedited version of the old couple seems more realistic. Many things are explained by Carver in the unedited version, like Terri's true feelings about Carl. Near the end, we find out that Terri was pregnant and had an abortion, which she feels bad about. I think both stories do a good job of explaining the different topics of love, and their success and failures, but they seem like different stories. "Beginners" gives a complete, detailed explanation of the topics of love, with true love being the main focus.