We were all together in the dark. Listening with bated breath as the couple fought. We could hear them going at it. It sounded like the end of their world. Finally it came to an end with her storming out and him collapsing into his chair quietly sobbing. We looked at each other and knew it in our hearts. This was the wrong night for a surprise party.

As Cole's fist prepared to strike for the very first time in fifteen years of marriage, Ellen intended to square off against him. She had earned her 1st degree black belt in Aikijujitsu, yet her bowels were turning to water.

She trained in a dojo. He was an active-duty marine scout/sniper in Afghanistan. Memories don't lie ... Aikijujitsu saved her mind. The deeds Cole performed in war's darkened theater ate at his sanity.

The best beach down the shore. Quiet and peaceful. ‘‘Twas a mile walk down a sandy trail to get there, but well worth it. Funny, as I got closer, I realized all the footprints were pointing towards the beach, none coming the other way. Yet the beach was empty. Ahhhhh, whatever!! I’d enjoy the solitude. Just then I turned the last corner and

He was not what I expected. Unassuming...dorky, even. But then he fixed me with those eyes of his, and a sudden surge of primal fight-or-fight instinct reminded me why I had come here in the first place. (What color were his eyes? I couldn't really tell.)

I didn’t know it was Earth Day when I saw the fox furtively cross Cranbury Road beating the oncoming vehicles during my morning jog. Mouth full; was it prey or progeny ? It was happiness!