You send Ben a letter agreeing to
meet him beneath the tree on Valentine's Day evening, at
As the hour draws near, you waver between accepting the proposal you are certain he will offer once again, and reiterating your refusal. You feel certain that you could be content as his wife, but want years of independence to devote to your poetry before such commitment. Ben's brilliance, love of literature, and passionately inspired critiques of your writing weigh in favor of marriage; fears of hours spent reading and writing squandered for scrubbing and child rearing weigh in favor of rejection. Desire tips the scales.
Clambering out your bedroom window, you waver yet. Waiting beneath the tree in the cold dark, you waver yet. At half past one, you waver no longer. Declaring independence, you cart your dilemma and your desire home once again.