I took a look at the literature again. There were so many pamphlets, so many catalogues, so many testimonials. One of us was convinced.

"I think we have to do it. We really have no choice."

She kept emphasizing we. Like this was a joint deal. I guess it was, but really this was going to sincerely fuck me over. How did we get into this? If you really think about it, it should have been shouldered by both her and me. We both faced responsibility which was why we were in this mess, but really this was my fault. I acknowledged that. I acknowledged that immediately. I'm an asshole and speak my mind and have a short temper which is a bad combination for a relationship that needed repairs.

"How much again?" I asked.

"Jesus, what is with you and money? Look, we have to do this - regardless of money."

"I GET IT. Jesus you're a fucking HARPY," I told her a little louder than I was hoping for. She looked hurt, a look that looked now all too familiar.

We both heard the faint crying from the other room.

"Nice one," she said and I could hear her utter the word 'jackass' as she started upstairs towards the smaller bedroom.

I took a look at the pamphlets again and could see the message that the company was trying to sell us on. The metrics were convincing. 75% of couples remain happily married without therapy, without counseling, and without lawyers. 89% of couples in our age with a child also had a successful metric with them, but who knows what they're not saying in the pamphlets.

How did it go?

I looked at my phone and saw that it was my mom. I ignored it. My mind and fingers went back to the literature and I flipped through it and just saw happy couple after happy couple holding hands, hugging, and there were some that were bride and groom. It was cute and we were desperate. The company was called 'From Head to Toe' and made promises that were just unrealistic.

Just 4 weeks.

Challenge your identity... Challenge yourself....

You will emerge.

The money was pretty significant but my wife had started a job and we were pretty financially secure. We both were educated and could do our jobs well and were rising in our careers pretty well. We were lucky to be healthy and seemed to have our shit together, but when the baby came, we just weren't prepared. We were perpetually tired, miserable, cranky... just like the baby right? But we were adults and were collapsing.

We had never sealed the deal and gotten married and we had discussed it before. But we wussed out because nobody wanted to be in a wedding with a pregnant bride and now we just had too much going on and were terrified about making the wrong decision. Was it more important to get married? Nope. We had to repair this broken foundation.

Once we started talking to our friends independently, we got consolation and sympathy. My friend Will and his wife Molly were the nicest and came over and helped out and lent a kind ear to hear from my end of the deal. If you were wondering whether I had done anything fundamentally wrong like had an affair or committed a crime or harassed anyone, the answer was no. I'm a moral person and I love my wife... on paper. But in reality, I was beginning to dislike her.

Look, this is going to sound nuts, but we've heard of something that seems to work miracles. You're going to have to take a leap of faith.

There is absolutely nothing that can repair this. I'm going to have to get an apartment and we're going to have to figure out custody... this is so bad.

It doesn't have to be.

A few days later, we signed up for an online assessment and then the literature appeared and then the deals came.

20% off if you sign up now!
10% additional off with your referral.
Investing one month may mean a lifetime of happiness.

After a huge fight, we decided to again consider it.

My wife came down after about 20 minutes of rocking I could hear on our comfortable rocking chair that we had splurged on.

"Is she ok?" I asked.

"Fine," my wife said. She waited and then said... "she's fine."

She looked at me with her red eyes that were damp from some tears and she seemed like she was going to start crying again. Not again.

"Ok, sign us up."

My wife looked up at me and there was a glimmer of reconciliation that appeared. And maybe even the hint of a smile. So far so good.