Page 18 - my SUCCESS! my CHOICE
P. 18
Deepak Gupta my SUCCESS! my CHOICE
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THREE
Dan Webber married his school sweetheart, the stunningly beautiful Betsy Moore, immediately
after completing college. They were ‘the perfect couple’ and almost inseparable in high school. But
choice of university forced them to settle for 4-years long-distance relationship. Dan chose
Engineering at Purdue and Betsy Social Sciences at UC Berkeley. They had decided to get married as
soon as they finished college and kept their promise.
After several blissful and exciting years of marriage and parenthood, their relationship began to
drift. Both felt it and were unhappy about it, but neither knew the cause or how to avert the slide;
oblivious to them, their egos had gained control. Both made halfhearted attempts to rapprochement,
but in vain because neither ego was willing to let go. Despite their strong mutual desire to revive the
relationship, both put the onus on the other to take the lead, which neither did. The relationship slid
further once their only son Jonathan left for college. Although they coexisted civilly and courteously
under the same roof, they had little to talk about, and whenever they did, it was only the necessary
and mundane.
Betsy had watched Dan transform over past few years into a different person who seemed distant
and preoccupied; even when with her, he was not there. She was extremely dissatisfied but could not
comprehend the reasons for this change. Reluctant to take the lead herself for some inexplicable
reason, she silently and painfully watched the gap widen. She eagerly hoped and waited for Dan to
initiate reconciliation; from her side she was determined to respond with excessive enthusiasm
whenever he would. But he never did, and she waited!