you to agree with me about everything,” she told her best friend. “I’m asking you not to decide that I’m stupid before you’ve even met him.”
Her friend folded her arms.
“And what happens if you’re wrong?”
Yuki looked down.
It was a fair question.
“What happens if any of us is wrong?” she replied. “I can’t guarantee that my marriage will last forever. Nobody can. But I can make decisions carefully, keep my independence, and pay attention to how he treats me.”
Her friend did not appear satisfied.
Neither was Yuki.
There were moments when the criticism made her question herself. She sometimes wondered whether the intensity of those first ten days had made everything seem simpler than it was.
Marriage would introduce ordinary realities that beach walks and romantic conversations could not reveal. They would need to discuss money, household responsibilities, health, family expectations, privacy, and the possibility
