It happens to the best of us.
As graduation neared, the conversation often turned to our future, which was beginning to feel more and more entwined with theirs. My dream of moving to New York became less urgent. We had gotten a puppy for Christmas that was well on her way to becoming a large dog, and that wouldn’t make much sense in the city. Besides, his father said, New York was the loneliest place in the world.
As the wedding drew near, I longed for New York, a career of my own. J and I talked about going somewhere else, while we were young and unencumbered. I hesitated to share these desires with his parents because I knew that they would take it as an insult to the life they had wrapped so neatly and presented to us. I winced when J raised the idea of our moving to New York over dinner at a restaurant near the lake. I knew their favor could be lost as easily as it was won.