John and Betty have been dating for five years. They got together at the end of college, but they were friends before. John and Betty were a good couple. They rarely fought, they never got jealous, and they respected each other. They managed to make problems go away. For example, after college, John was planning to go to medical school in Washington. Betty was planning to stay in California. However, they talked it out and John decided to enroll in a medical school in California. He didn't mind changing his plans for Betty. She was worth it.
Right now, John is in residency, which means that he has finished medical school and is now working under a doctor at a hospital. Betty is an investment banker at Wells Fargo. Betty feels that they have been dating long enough to get married. They have been living together for almost four years. They knew each other's habits and were comfortable with each other. Over dinner, Betty brings it up. John sighs. "I want to get married at some point, but not now. I am trying to pay off my medical school debt," he said.
"Why don't we just borrow some money from my parents? They wouldn't mind!" Betty said. "True, but I would," he said. "Let go of your pride," Betty said. "We'll get married eventually, don't worry. At the end of the day, marriage doesn't mean that much. As long as we love each other, that's okay," John said. He has a point, she thought. Betty believed that they would be together forever.
