D-I-V-O-R-C-E

"It has to be someone's fault."

"It doesn't. It's even right there in the name, No Fault Divorce."

"If nobody is at fault why get divorced?"

"I'm just not happy."

"Oh, your generation and your need to be happy! Whoever told you that happy is the goal?"

"Literally you and the parents of every friend I ever had. You all said, 'I don't care what they do as long as they are happy.'

"Well we obviously didn't mean it!"

"What?"

"Not all the time, anyway. Nobody is happy all the time, that's just pathological."

"I don't need all of the time. Just more of it than I have now."

"But you took vows."

"Yes, and one of those was that we would try to make each other happy. We aren't doing that anymore so it's time to make a change."

"But we don't get divorced in this family."

"Well, we aren't getting divorced, Mom, I am."

"I just, I mean...what do you think would have happened if I had left when I wasn't happy?"

"I imagine you would have found things that made you happy."

"You made me happy!"

"I'm not saying that being a mother didn't make you happy. It just didn't make you happy all the time, I mean that would have been pathological."

"Don't get smart."

"A little too late for that. But honestly? If you had left to find your own happiness; I would imagine you would have maybe gone back into music or teaching. Things you did before Dad. Before you were married. Before you had kids. Even not leaving I think you should have focused a little more on you than on us. "

"Impossible. I mean, you might have been okay, but your brother certainly wouldn't have."

"My brother is a spoiled and inconsiderate ass so maybe it would have done him some good."

"Oh! You don't think they will get divorced too?"

"What? Why?"

"All of the ladies' magazines always said that if you have friends who get divorced you should stop seeing them because divorce can be contagious."

"Wait, the advice from the magazine was if your friends are going through something hard you should shun them incase divorce is like the flu?"

"When you say it like that it sounds awful."

"Because it is awful!"

"Well, I won't shun you. Even if it's your fault. Is it your fault?"

"Mom..."