From Andrew McAfee

Tim and I were graduate school roommates in Boston in 1990, when I was 22. Lori was in law school in Chicago then, so the two of them saw each other rarely. Before her first visit to our apartment, I watched Tim's mood improve steadily. But after she showed up I sensed that things were not going at all well.

There seemed to be a lot of debate, argument, and back-and-forthing about small things. I saw this as a symptom of deep strains in their relationship brought on by distance and school stress, and I did not find it fun to watch. I tried to ease the situation by saying very little and leaving the room as quickly as I could.

On about her second day in town Lori noticed me clamming up as she and her husband discussed who had picked the stupider pot to cook spaghetti in. She got a gleam in her eye and said "Tim, Andy thinks we're fighting." They looked at my worried face, then laughed like it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen. When she finally calmed down Lori said "We're not fighting. We're married."

Lori and Tim gave me my first close-up view of a young married couple, and I've never seen a better example.

--Andrew McAfee
Boston, MA