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Chapter One

How far can obligation take you? It al at fifteen is either a fairy tale or insanity Sean Soh school We grew up together through a parent's death, a divorce, proh a part of me realized there was no passion in our relationship He was like a trusted confidante, a best friend But the love of my life? I wasn't so sure

I assue that would make us drift apart I had accepted a partial scholarship to the University of Chicago and Sean was staying behind in Maryland to attend the local university It wasn't for lack of trying that Sean didn't attend the sao had rejected him, and a small secret part of o and beco Eht-A student, church volunteer

However, I had underestih we had promised each other that ould call and visit faithfully, Chicago was an expensive plane ride away I didn't think it would actually happen I hadn't realized that Sean had been squirreling away his paychecks froh money to be able to visit me every month

And college hadn't been what I had expected it to be I thought I would beco friends and adventures around every corner Instead, I realized I was still the sa straight-A's I was still volunteering at church

It becao as comfortable Sean was coested that I raduation and take a job in DC so that we could start a life together, I agreed

For three years, I was tolerably happy Everyone envied our relationship We both liked our jobs and enjoyed living right outside of DC in an up-and-coht and I believed that I would spend the rest of my life with Sean Therefore, when he proposed toinsideright on track

But as the wedding day came closer and closer, I started to feel as if I was suffocating We had our life totally ious financial firer I was a ured I would work there a fewchildren Then I would be a stay-at-home mom

I tried to buy into the vision, but I began to realize that it wasn't thethat life with

Sean didn't like to travel He liked to stay home and watch television Our sex life had been reduced to a chaste daily kiss with an obligatory roll in the hay once every couple of weeks He bored me to tears, and I was sure I did the same to him Yet every time I would question how happy he was in our relationship, he claimed that he was perfectly content

The further we got into the wedding planning, the rew, but it beca it off I had already sent the invitations out, for Pete’s sake How tacky would it be to have to rescind a wedding invitation? So I went along and picked out our wedding cake, listened to different bands, and had long drawn-out conversations about which caterer to use

Until irlfriends and I had done the predictable thing and gone to Vegas We squealed in ht over the Chippendale dancers, we lost money on the slots and we drank ourselves to oblivion