The days were busy days, the nights busier still with homework and the few hours Ian allotted to their “togetherness” program. On the eve of her thirty-ninth birthday, Emily decided there was no such thing as pure happiness in a marriage. There was, she told herself, fulfillment and even contentment. Either you accepted or you rejected it, which was just another way of saying you went with the flow or you fought it. Emily opted to go with the flow, an expression she’d heard on television. She’d finally given up on the idea of getting pregnant. It wasn’t even something she could fault Ian for. They’d worked at it arduously, playfully, angrily, determinedly, to no avail. Today was going to be a bad day. Emily could feel it in her bones. “What’s wrong, Emily?” “I’m thirty-nine today. So tell me what are we going to do this weekend to celebrate this momentous day in my life?” “We’re going down to the shore house and take the boat out. I bought you a Sunfish for your birthday.
