“Come on,” Howard shouted, beaconing for Tara to follow him into the lake, undressing as he ran, splashing through the shallows. Unwilling to disrobe and plunge into the frigid water in February, she tried to politely decline despite his insistence. For as long as she had known him, he had never been this adventurous, and his personality change scared her immensely.

They had been courting for far too long to idly separate without it having lasting repercussions for both of their families. After long coercion, she finally gave in and lifted the folds of her dress over her head to dive into the clear, cold water. It hit her as soon as her toes touched the surf and she braved the temperature in order to please Howard. Thinking ‘This is awful’ the entire time she walked out to him, she hated that she had allowed him to convince her of this foolish errand.

Tara knew that she would end up following him forever, and hating herself for it, but she was totally nonconfrontational. Even the thought of doing something to displease him made her almost physically sick. When she reached Howard, he wrapped his arms around her and asked “Marry me?”

She looked into his eyes which shined out with excitement for his proposal and the assurance that she would answer in the affirmative. “Yes,” she replied in self loathing that was thinly veiled in feigned happiness and flattery. They were now inseparable and Tara felt instantly the burden of making Howard happy for their entire lives together.

They did not live happily ever after, not by a mile.