and my stepfather has uttered perhaps the most useful words he's ever spared for me

[aruan]

"Just wait until you're thirty or forty, then you might start thinking about relationships. Until then, people have their uses, have fun and marry when you find someone with enough money to to give you what you want."

there was an implied happiness clause in there, but this worked much better without the platitudes.

yeah, so i'm feeling jaded. bite me. if destiny can't be defied, even by true love, then we'd best damn well be happy in the choices we do make.