When the initial infatuation had worn out, they found it hard to connect. His bubbly personality which had swept her off her feet now felt abrasive, and her tendency to withdraw from difficult situations irritated him. Finally they found a licenced therapist, although he had taken to growing tulips back when his profession became obsolete.

But like the marriage counselor said, they weren't motivated enough to do all the emotional heavy lifting saving their relatioship would have required. The impeding breakup itself held a magnetic thrill, not to mention the lucrative talkshow offers and Hollywood producers fighting for filming rights.