This story begins before I know there's going to be a story. Which makes it difficult to know where, when, or how to begin. I could say: with a separation. But my wife and I were already a year or two into what our therapist kept trying to call a "therapeutic separation." He's a good man who truly gave us his best shot. So, what sounds more accurate is: this story begins with an ending. Or, even better might be: the awful begin-ning of a painful ending.