Tips for keeping romance and connection alive in married life.
My friend Monica and I rode the Bainbridge ferry one rainy September Saturday. It was 4:10 in the afternoon, and the windows were foggy. She stared at the gray water and finally said what was on her mind. Her husband Luis wanted to move from Seattle to San Antonio. His dad had knee surgery in … Read more
My sister Rachel called me from her car on a gray February afternoon. It was 12:30, and she was parked outside a grocery store in Columbus. Her husband Ben had told her his big plan over breakfast that morning. He wanted to quit his accounting job and open a bike repair shop. His exact words … Read more
My friend Priya called me last Saturday night after a dinner party. She was still sitting in her car outside the house at eleven. Earlier that night she mispronounced a wine name at the table. Daniel corrected her loudly enough that three guests turned around. She laughed it off at the table, the way most … Read more
My friend Dani called me at 6:40 on a Friday night. She was still sitting in her car in the driveway. She and Colin had just left a dinner party at her sister’s. They were fighting again about hosting the in laws this year. Dani said they had had this exact fight four times already. … Read more
My friend Maddie called me at 2:15 on a Sunday afternoon. She had just found their anniversary weekend booked as a camping trip. Tom had planned it with his brothers without asking her at all. She found the campsite confirmation email open on his laptop screen. Maddie was not upset about camping, she told me … Read more
My friend Priya called me at 7:40 on a Tuesday, still in her robe. A coworker texted her congrats before her husband Dev got home. Dev got promoted that Monday and told the whole office first. Priya read the news from a coworker before he even walked in the door. She was not angry about … Read more
My friend Renee called me crying last Saturday at 6:40 in the evening. She had just left a backyard barbecue. Her husband Carlos had told four coworkers about a fight. They had argued about it that same morning. He laughed the whole time he told it. It was just another funny story to pass around … Read more
My friend Jenna called me at 8:20 on a Saturday, already annoyed. Marcus had just announced golf instead of visiting her sister. They have been married for four years and this fight is not new. It shows up almost every weekend in some slightly different shape. Jenna wants shared time and Marcus wants his own … Read more
My friend Renata called me on a Thursday night in late October. She was eating cold pasta standing at her kitchen counter. Her husband Wes sat in the living room with a game on. He had said maybe four words to her since six. She asked if he wanted to come sit at the table. … Read more
My friend Renata called me from a parking garage on a Thursday in March. She had been sitting in her car for twenty minutes. Theo had come home the night before with an offer in Denver. They had lived in the same Columbus suburb for nine years. She said, I am happy for him and … Read more
