She (Part 1)

Aside ~ isn't that an early classic science fiction novel, and the "She" of the title is a monster?  I'm just sayin' ...

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So, here we go: my totally biased and one sided story regarding the woman my brother chose to marry.

My brother had never dated much, and met the woman he is now married to when he was in his mid 30's.  They worked together.  She had been married once before, and it didn't work out.  Of course the version we were given is that it was all the ex-husband's fault, but we wonder ...

When my brother decided to ask her to marry him, he went and picked out a ring, and asked her.  She said yes ... but she didn't like the ring.  She went to a jewellery store and picked out a much more expensive one, and had him return the one he had purchased and buy her the other one.  And re-propose.  Somewhere fancy, and romantic, so she could have a good story to tell her friends.

Two weeks later, she decided she didn't particularly like that ring either, and made him take it back, and buy her a 3rd one, in platinum.

Now, most people at this point are asking if my brother is dumb.  He is not.  He is a very intelligent man.  I don't know what was going on in his head at this point ~ maybe love is blind?  Maybe his version of a biological clock was ticking, and he felt like he *needed* to be married?  I do not know.  He almost called it off, almost didn't buy the third ring ... but he did.

Once they were engaged, She decided that she was going to quit work and go back to teacher's college.

They started planning their wedding.  My brother had dreams of what he wanted his wedding day to be like, and had things he wanted.  But every time he suggested something that didn't match her way, she would cry until he gave in.  You see, her first wedding didn't live up to her dreams, and she had been scarred by that ...  you may see a trend developing.

I stood up at their wedding as my brother's best man (and may I just say I look pretty darn fine in a tuxedo, thank you very much!).  She pitched a fit about this, and it is one of the few things my brother stuck to his guns about.  I feel kinda like a hypocrite, standing up in a wedding I don't think should have even happened, but I was there to support my brother, and if this had brought him happiness despite my reservations, I would have been overjoyed to be wrong.

After the wedding, they discussed starting a family.  My brother did not have strong feelings one way or the other, but she desperately wanted children.  Yes, you read that right:  she is the one that pushed and pushed for children.

In order to properly raise a child, one needs a house. (Or so she says) So they started shopping for a house.  Remember, she has gone back to teacher's college, so my brother is supporting both of them, and paying for her schooling ... and shopping for a house ... on one income.

They find a house they can agree on.  She wanted a larger more expensive one, but the voice of reason (?) prevailed.

The usual way of having children isn't working.  They have tests, try fertility treatments.  Still nothing.  They try IVF.  No success.

In the mean time, she has graduated from teacher's college.  She gets a couple of job offers, in the large city they live in, but decides they are in the "wrong area" or "too far away".  So she ends up working part time in a large science museum.

They continue to try IVF.  Which is not cheap, mind you.  She becomes depressed, and is placed under the care of a psychiatrist.  Not for the first time, much to my brother's surprise ~ she has been under psychiatric care before.  Possibly something he should have known earlier?

To be continued ...