Enough was enough. After four years of devoting herself to Ward, Leah had given up. “I’m moving to New York,” she said. He couldn’t believe it. He begged her to give him one more chance. She said she had already given him “one more chance” too many times.

“I asked you to marry me, but you said you weren’t ready to get married. You’re 50 years old—when will you be ready!? I asked you to find us an apartment, so that we could live together; you didn’t. As a nervous realtor, I asked you to stay with me when I had to sit in open houses by myself on weekends. You didn’t. I asked you to help my son find a scholarship or grant so that he could attend a good college. You didn’t. Shall I go on?”

He said he got the picture. He apologized. “My priorities weren’t right; now I realize that you are my only priority.”

She said his apology was too little, too late. She had already bought an airline ticket to New York City; her flight was Monday evening.

His jaw dropped. “You’re not serious! What are you going to do in New York?” he asked. “You don’t know anyone there. You’ve never even been there. You can’t just fly into New York all alone and start wandering around. It’s a dangerous place. And the places that aren’t dangerous are expensive. You don’t have any money!”

She said she had enough money to stay in a hotel until she found an apartment and a job. She had always wanted to live in a big, exciting city like New York. “That’s where I can start my own business,” she said, “and maybe find a man I can depend on!”