Marriages Go Through Hard Times. Sometimes You

The Falling Apart Of A Man's Life Should Make More Noise. It Should Startle Passesrby With Its Sturm And Drang. It Ought To Sound Like The Parthenon Crashing Down. Not This Ordinary, Everyday Kind Of Quiet...he Closed His Eyes...and Still It Was Quiet, This Falling Apart Of His Life, As Silent As The Last Beat Of An Old Man's Heart. A Quiet, Echoing Thud, And Then...nothing.

At One Point, She'd Wanted To Hurl The Whole Breakfast At The Wall. And Then She'd Remember Why It Was That Men Had Temper Tantrums And Women Didn't: Cleanup.

What Shall We Drink To?" "how About Family?" Stacy Said, Showing Up Just In Time To Pour A Fourth Shot. "to Those Who Are Here, Those Who Are Gone, And Those Who Are Lost." And She Clicked Glasses With Mom

Alice Started To Cry. It Came With No Sound, No Shuddering, No Childlike Hysterics, Just A Soul-deep Release That Turned Into Moisture And Dripped Down Her Puffy Pink Cheeks. She Touched Her Tears, Frowning. Then She Looked Up At Julia And Whimpered Two Words Before She Fell Asleep. ‘real Hurts.’

We Can't Live Other People's Lives For Them. Even If We Love Them.