Leftovers. They are the unsung heroes of our refrigerators. We either love them for satisfying our late night hunger, or hate them for the stench they create after being left behind for over a week. Leftovers are the epitome of a love-hate relationship. Sometimes, a meal is so great you cannot help but think of the happiness you will feel on the day you have it as a leftover. Other times, you wish you just threw away whatever remnants were left because it was just not as good the second time around.

Leftovers are reminiscent of relationships in their many forms of existence in our lives. For all you skeptics who made it this far and are thinking, “this is a load of cr$#p, my leftovers do not resemble a relationship in any way, shape, or form,” just stay with me.      

There is always that guy or girl who never leaves -- the clingy one, you know? The one you try so hard to get rid of, but they always manage to find a way back into your life. Those are the leftovers we hate. Those are the ones hiding in the back of the refrigerator waiting for the night you come home hungry, and you are forced to have them because there is simply nothing better. When it is too late to call for take-out, and you really do not want to leave the house for some Taco Bell, these are the leftovers you settle for. These are the “clingy” leftovers.      

Then, there are those relationships you have with the perfect person, the kind you genuinely feel so lucky to be with, but also doubt because it is just too good to be true. These are the relationships where you always find yourself  wondering if there is someone on the prowl waiting to pounce as soon as the opportunity arises. This relationship resembles the leftovers you are always afraid to keep in the communal refrigerator. Whether it is at home with the rest of your family, in an apartment with your roommates, or in a sorority or fraternity house, these are the leftovers you write your name on in black, bold, underline, italics and capitalized with a Sharpie. These are the leftovers you check on constantly to make sure no one took a bite. These are the “too good to be true” leftovers.      

The no strings attached relationship is one, I assume, we are all familiar with. If not, I highly recommend you watch the movie, No Strings Attached, to paint a better picture of what is implied by these relationships. Generally, these are the leftovers that we do not  write on in black, bold, italics with a Sharpie. These are the ones that taste great, but we do not mind parting with and coming back to find they have been partially or fully eaten -- or so we think. Because the minute we do find them partially or fully eaten, we realize we should have never been so loose with them. Hopefully, you learn your lesson after the first time with the “no strings attached” leftovers.     

Lastly, there are the gem relationships, the ones people think are really not compatible, but behind closed doors they are a match made in heaven. The “she/he is too good for him/her” relationships that people constantly judge, but know nothing about. These resemble the best kind of leftovers; these are the leftovers no one understands. They are the ones that may not look very appetizing, but taste amazing. These are the ones people are not familiar with, so they keep away. Then, at the end of the day you come home to find they are all yours and, oh, so satisfying. These are the “hidden gem” leftovers.      

There are many other forms that leftovers come in, all of which resemble a relationship of some sort. For all you readers who started out as non-believers, welcome to the dark side and enjoy your leftovers.