It had all been going so well. Ten years ago, he had made a promise, and he had been true to his word. It had been hell for a few weeks, but he still had her. In time, they had stopped fighting, and he had started performing better at work. He had even earned a promotion.

Then the economy tanked. The company let him go, just like that. He looked for another job, but all the other companies were in the same situation. After a few months the fighting started again, but he told himself that as long as he had her, everything would be okay.

This morning he came downstairs to two suitcases by the front door. Dana walked in from the kitchen, putting on her coat. They looked at each other for a long time, and then she left without a word.

He couldn’t bring himself to look the clerk in the eye as he bought the fifth of whiskey. He stared at it all afternoon. Every fiber of his being yearned to bolt down the entire bottle and drown his sorrows in temporary alcoholic bliss.

But he had made a promise.