Water-n-Oxygen

I had a spent a great weekend with my family a few weeks ago during the 4th of July holiday. This makes the third consecutive year that we have gathered at my cousin’s mini mansion in Northern VA. Her community is adjacent to a country club that does the most magnificent firework display and the HOA throws an amazing block party (I’m talking DJ, moon bounce, BBQ, tiki bar…). To me, this weekend is like the American Dream personified – celebrating the freedom of our nation and being surrounded by so many seemingly perfect families. Of course, no family is perfect however two successful parents, 2.5 adorable kids, and a luxury SUV & sedan in a two-car garaged all nestled into statuesque single family home in an affluent suburban cul-de-sac can often seem that way (I left out the manicured lawn, but you get the point).

After the fireworks, the women in my family sat around the fire-pit, drank mojitos, and listened to my cousin tell how her fiancé proposed to her on a gondola in Paris (or Venice… I forget, they went to both, can’t remem where the actually proposal took place, lol… anywho, how AWESOME is that!). Near the end of the story, we start to hear some screaming which we first assume is coming from the kids in the basement. Then one of my cousins signals all of us to stop talking and points across the backyard to a neighbor’s house. At this point we all hear a blood-curdling scream followed by:

I HATE YOU!!!... How could you do this to me?!?!... In front of my family, you
embarrassed me in front of my family!!!... You said you would never cheat!!!...
It’s OVER!!!

Well damn.

Of course, we all know that money cannot buy you love or happiness and we are all one jumpoff away from having our lives turned upside down by infidelity [INSERT TIGER WOODS JOKE] but this was truly a sad sight. On the outside, these people seemed to have so much, but inside, a marriage was falling apart. After hearing my cousin’s story about her proposal (and downing quite a few mojitos) I was sure that I was going to dream a fairytale that night but this episode really bought me back to reality.

Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?