Twenty-three years of marriage had seen plenty of ups and downs for Louise and I, but most of the memories we shared were good ones; two healthy daughters, a sound stable of friends, and a decent size house in the well-to-do area of Amberley-on-Heath were but three examples of what our married life had propagated. Though it wasn't entirely the grandeur lifestyle we had envisioned when we first tied the knot and mortgaged ourselves to the hilt, we lived a comfortable existence, minus the fast cars and fancy boats that our neighbours seemed to accumulate. Once the girls finished their private high school education, we reasoned we would also be able to indulge in such toys that the residents of this upmarket suburbia expected. But that was a few years off yet; for now, the garage was occupied by the estate in lieu of the coupe.