Unhappiness
After Margaret Atwood

This is the story of Grace and Dan.

All stories end in divorce. Except for A.

A.
Grace and Dan grow up in a small town. They live across the street from each other. Grace lives in a white house with yellow shutters and Dan lives in a green house with white shutters. It takes 52 steps to get from Grace’s front door to Dan’s. They are best friends.  They ride their bikes together, they build tree houses together, and they make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crust cut off every day during the summer. Grace has always loved Dan. Dan has always loved Grace. In the 10th grade, Dan finally asks Grace to the Valentines Day Dance. They date through high school, go to the same college, and get married. They have two kids: Lilly and Emily. They fight every night about the same exact things, but choose to stay together for the sake of their kids.

B.
Grace and Dan grow up across the street from each other in a small town. Grace loves Dan. Dan doesn’t love Grace. They were best friends as kids, but as they get to high school they drift apart. Years later, they see each other for the first time when they are back home visiting their families for Christmas. Dan is married. Grace is not. But, they fell in love.  Dan divorces his wife, Kristen and marries Grace. Their life resumes at the end of story A.

C.
Grace and Dan go to middle school together. Dan loves Grace, but Grace loves James.  Grace ignores Dan, thinking she is too good for him. She isn’t. Grace spends her entire time in high school being pushed around by James, but she is too stubborn to admit that he was not the one for her. She still ignores Dan and she continues to be treated badly by James throughout college. After college she still refuses to leave James, and says yes when he asks her to marry him. They get married. A month into their marriage, James cheats on Grace. They stay together. James cheats on Grace again. They stay together. James cheats on Grace for the last time and they get divorced.

D.
Grace and Dan go to high school together. Grace loves Dan. Dan loves Grace. They date throughout high school and decide to stay together in college, but Grace cheats on Dan with James. Dan decides to stay with Grace. After they graduate college they get married. Like story A, they have two kids Lilly and Emily. But like story C, their story ends in divorce.

E.
Grace and Dan start dating the summer before they left for college. When the summer ends, they decide to stay together. She left for art school in the city and he left for business school in the city. Their schools are 52 blocks away from each other. During the second semester of their freshman year, Dan cheats on Grace with Kristen, his lab partner in Chemistry 101. Grace finds out and breaks up with Dan. A few months later, Grace decides to give Dan a second chance. But, Grace still resents Dan for cheating on her. Four years later they get married. Grace still resents Dan. A year later they have twins, Lilly and Emily. Grace still resents Dan. Dan cheats on Grace again. Their lives resume like the end of story C, divorce. Grace gets custody of their two children: Lilly and Emily.

F.
Grace and Dan go to college together. Dan is dating Kristen and Grace is dating James. One night at a party Grace and Dan cheat on Kristen and James. 9 months later, they have their first child: Lilly. Dan decides the right thing to do is to marry Grace. A month later they get married. After almost a year of fighting they realize their marriage is a mistake. But, they are about to have their second child, Emily. For the sake of their children they stay together. But, when the fighting doesn’t stop their life resumes like the end of story C: divorce.

G.
Grace and Dan meet at work. Dan works on the 6th floor and Grace works on the 18th floor. They spent a year working in the same office building, but they never run into each other. One night they meet when they are out with their friends. They immediately fall in love. Seven months later he proposes. Like in story A, they have two kids Lilly and Emily. Ten years into their marriage Dan goes to a high school reunion and sees his high school sweetheart, Kristen. Their story starts to look like it will end up the same as story A, but it eventually results in the end of story C. Dan and Kristen get married. Dan and Grace get joint custody of their children.

H.
There is no clear answer of who should be together. Should Grace be with James or Dan? Should Dan be with Grace or Kristen?
It doesn’t matter who marries who because in this case, all marriages end the same way – divorce.  Story A is the exception. It is the one chance in Dan and Grace’s lives where they can be happy together. But, even that story has traces of unhappiness. So, there is only one realistic ending– unhappiness.