At 28 Stanford grad Robert was finally in love. Though he had often dated in college, his studies had been his foremost concern and that focus had continued in the early years of his career. But now when he gazed into Amanda's eyes he knew true happiness. Looking just beyond his love he saw only problems.
Amanda was a family girl, deeply attached to her parents, siblings and many cousins, and felt better when they were around her. There were the birthday parties and holiday celebrations, these Robert could understand, but why he pondered did they have to accompany the couple everywhere they went.
"Because they are family," Amanda explained again and again, "we do everything together." And so off they would sail on Robert's boat to points near and far. The couple would enjoy the wind in their hair, smell of the salt water and colorful Yacht Ensign at the front of the vessel, and her parents would too.
On a trip to Disneyland and a ride on the Pirates of the Caribbean, Robert and Amanda were alone in one boat, but her brothers were in the very next boat laughing at the pirates and their Jolly Roger flags. When, oh when, Robert pleaded, can we ever be alone. Well, they were for awhile, on a moonlight stroll along the beach, but fifty feet behind, her cousins came too.
How about golf, Robert asked, does anyone in your family play golf? No, Amanda said, that's just not their sport. "But my mother always said she would like to give it a try." So off to the course they went, Robert resigned to make the best of it. And on the eighth green an errant shot from another golfer hit Amanda's mother squarely in the head, knocking her out cold. Finally, they were alone. Finally, just the two of them. And that's when, her mother came too.