Vision of a Happy Life A Memoir

That week on Maui, we were like magnets, drawing strangers to our side. On the night of our wedding, after the overly-long and expensive dinner with the unknowns, someone who lived in the condo where we stayed decided to serenade us with Hawaiian music until after midnight. For a while, it was flattering to be the object of such attention, but then it became an irritant. What to do…lean over the balcony and wave thanks or go down and give the singer a big tip? John preferred the latter and stayed to talk for an hour with the musician.

When he finally came in, I was in bed waiting. I wanted to be sexually responsive to him, but that was not an easy task considering his drinking and his blood pressure medicine which often affected his potency. Viagra had not yet been invented, although he certainly tried everything then available except rhino horn, so highly touted by the Asians. On our wedding night, I heard him open the liquor case and pour himself a couple of shots. Then, he came to bed and was quickly asleep. I did not close my eyes for a long while, wondering about the irony of life. My first wedding night, I was a virgin, not knowing what to expect. My second wedding night, nothing happened