“My friends and family have been against us for quite some time. They just don’t know Michael like I do. Once they get to know him, they’ll see. They’ll understand. They’ll love him as much as I do, maybe even more,” Hayley wrote in her journal as she sat at her antique mirrored vanity in her dimly lit bedroom as the sun went down.

Hayley and Michael met at a tapas bar one night when Hayley’s friend, Michelle, ditched her because “her daughter was sick.” She was already sitting on an uncomfortable metal stool by the window with a glass of wine, and even though she felt like a loser sitting there by herself, she figured she’d stay a while. She was scrolling through the depths of tumblr on her dying cell phone and never even noticed when Michael sat down next to her and just watched her for five straight minutes.

Finally, he got her attention by fake-coughing theatrically. She looked up and she saw the handsome man before her and felt both intimidated and flattered that he would choose her over all of the other beautiful women in the bar; no, the city. They began talking and her one glass of wine turned into four glasses and she found herself completely charmed by him. They went to the diner on the corner walking hand in hand and talked over peach pie until the early hours of the morning.

They exchanged phone numbers and she found herself missing him on her walk home. For the next couple of days, she had to will herself not to text him first. She’d been that girl in the past and didn’t want to come off as too needy and eager though she definitely was. She stalked him on Facebook and was thrilled when he had a public profile. She studied his interests, absorbed his beliefs, and told her friends about her new romantic interest.

They were supportive yet cautious. They wanted Hayley to be happy, but they were troubled by the fact that she was already using the word love in relation to him.

When he waited a solid three weeks to call her, they became dubious. Hayley tortured herself, constantly wondering what she could have said or done to make him not want to call her. She started reading up on his extreme political leanings, aligning herself to his beliefs, betraying her own. That’s when her friends began to worry.

When he finally did call, she was ready for it with a series of talking points outlined in her head. She planned on keeping the conversation light and leave him wanting more, that way he’d have to set up a second date. It worked. They stayed on the phone for over an hour, and with each passing minute, she felt that the reality of their love was coming to a head, that she was finally coming up for air amid the sea of couples she was drowning in, that she would finally have a boyfriend instead of just herself to love.  He asked her to dinner the following night. She resolved to do everything in her power to make him love her, and to keep it that way.

Their beginning informed their entire relationship. He had the power. They both knew it, and they were both weirdly okay with it. She told her friends that she was adapting to a new situation, truly finding herself after a lifetime of denial, but they could all see that he was changing her in irrevocable ways. She began distancing herself from her loved ones, burning bridges while she wholly devoted herself to her new love.

They moved in together after three months of dating. Hayley started feeling desperate and alone and threw herself more into his ready and waiting open arms. She woke up every morning with a deep sense of unease and refused to place the blame on her relationship with Michael, so she started journaling in the hopes that it would help quell her anxiety.

One day, Michael suggested going out to dinner with all of her loved ones. He told her that if they could just see how devoted they were to each other, how in love they were, how their relationship was built on a solid foundation, they would accept him. She convinced herself that it was true. It had to be true because she didn’t know how she could go on otherwise.

“Hey, hon, are you almost ready to go?” he asked from the doorway.

She started and looked his way, “Just a minute.”

She put away her journal, applied her red lipstick, and was ready to go. They walked to the Bistro with their arms interlocked and her head resting on his upper arm. He reminded her of the importance of showing them how happy and sane they were as a couple on the whole walk there. They arrived after the rest of their group. All eyes were on them in silent judgment as they removed their coats and sat down.

“So, Michael, where do you work?” asked Michelle’s husband Kevin after their drinks arrived.

Michael threw his arm around Hayley’s shoulders and said, “Oh, I work here and there. I don’t like holding down what you would call an ‘official’ job because I don’t want the government keeping track of my every move,” with a wink.

The table fell silent until their appetizers came. Kevin, Michelle, and Hayley’s sister Lauren were discussing the brilliance of Jon Stewart’s latest bit on the conservatives’ denial of climate change on The Daily Show and Michael dropped his fork loudly, threw his napkin on the table, and pushed his chair back.

“Ah, I can’t believe you watch that drivel,” he said.

“Drivel? Jon Stewart is one of the greatest satirists of our time,” said Lauren.

“Satirist?” he said with a snort, “Please. If he was a true satirist, he’d tell his viewers the truth.”

“Michael, please,” said Hayley.

“The truth about what?” asked Michelle.

“No, Hayley, they need to hear this. The truth is that our ‘government’ is ruled by an oligarchy of manipulative rich men who unnecessarily tax us for their own benefit. This country needs to run on philosophy if it even wants to make it another twenty years. We need to abolish child abuse so that we can better breed a race of nonviolent people who value philosophy over taxation.”

They all stared at him in disbelief. “What does that even mean?” asked Kevin.

But before he could answer, Hayley did, “It means we need to celebrate the freedom of choice and expression over taxation, warfare, and abuse. We really need to embrace philosophy before it’s too late.”

“I’m sorry, what?” said Michelle.

“It is a woman’s job to ensure that a family is built on love and trust because her husband has so many responsibilities and obligations with work. If the woman can create a safe space at home for her sons, they will grow up and change the world. That’s why the traditional gender roles work, ultimately. It’s like a chain that leads to a better world: father has a good job plus mother cares for her children equals no child abuse. No child abuse equals a world full of nonaggression. Nonaggression equals a world of philosophy and ideals,” she said.

Michael kissed her on the cheek loudly, “That’s my girl!”

“I’m leaving. You guys should come too,” said Lauren to Michelle and Kevin.

They all left without saying a word to Hayley. They wouldn’t even look at her.

Hayley was devastated. She really believed that the night was going to end in mutual understanding and respect.

She began questioning her commitment to Michael.