ABSTRACT
The story I tell of how my first marriage ended always includes the same details: After seven years of marriage, after surviving the year I was in Vietnam, and after the birth of our son, it was over in a flash. One day we decided to take in a film—Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford in “The Way We Were.” We were sitting in the theater waiting for the film to start when Ann started crying. “What’s the matter?” I asked. Through her sobs, she answered: “I’m leaving you. Tom and I are in love.” Tom happened to be my best friend at the time. The next day Ann and my son were gone. I was in shock—I thought our marriage was on solid ground. At this point I typically add a quick footnote to lighten the moment: We didn’t stay to see the film.
