Cry Like a Girl

The descent into madness isn't always accompanied by flashing lights and sirens. Sometimes, it sneaks up as quietly as fog... To the unknowing, Susan and Henry McFarland appear to be just another small-town couple working toward the American dream. Susan, an introverted housewife and part-time librarian is the yin to Henry's extroverted, rising-star yang. Susan has always dreamed of the perfect life: a loving husband and a home filled with children, all wrapped up in a white picket fence. But the perfect life she dreams of is rooted in the soil of a dark secret. Henry is a man's man: confident, likable, and no more than a handshake away from taking hold of the brass ring. Unknown to him, his brass ring is hanging on the proverbial gates of hell and his perfect life lives on the opposite side of the picket fence. It's their seven-year anniversary. While Susan spends the day preparing the meal for their traditional anniversary dinner, Henry accepts the terms of a new job assignment and seals the deal with a night out with the boys. Susan's worry turns to anger when Henry stumbles in after midnight and falls into bed without acknowledging the importance of the day or her efforts. That single marital infraction turns out to be the first of many; each silently picking at the seams of Susan's damaged past. In a twist of irony, just as Henry realizes the consequences of his wrongdoings, the universe begins to punish him for them. As he scrambles to right his wrongs and change the course of their lives, someone else is determined to see him fail. It is a tale of lessons learned too late. Beautifully wrought and as moving as it is tragic, the life and love of Susan and Henry will pull on the heartstrings of even the most phlegmatic.