The Marriage Contract(or)

My Mother wanted a helper. I truly believe that this is the only reason she married. She needed one who would be able to help her build her the life. -The one she had envisioned; Romantic, stylized, refined, idyllic and beautiful. She married a contractor who she believed would allow for this. My Dad was educated, attractive, smart and willing to do whatever he could on her behalf. He honestly did his best. But he was always the more down-to-earth of the two. My Mother had aspirations. My Dad had objectives. My mother wanted a rose-covered Victorian home and my Father wanted an economical place to come in out of the rain. He was always tearing pieces of our homes apart and refinishing them. My Mother tried in vain to make him understand her sophisticated vision and my Father tried to hone it with his utilitarian skills.

As usual with expressions between language and interpretation, the contractor had a completely different vision of her desires, but toiled tirelessly to meet vague requirements in a static environment. They worked like this for years. They still do.
She wanted a fine Bordeaux. He made her wine from Welch's Grape Juice Concentrate and Pioneer sugar. She wanted a Mazda Rx-7. He bought her a Toyota Tercel hatchback. She wanted a vacation home. He bought her a 150 year-old dilapidated farm house with no heat. When she wanted someone else to make dinner, he made waffles with ice cream instead of Fillet Mignon. It goes on and on.
That's how it is with contractors. There aren't many who cannot create exactly what you asked for. And when you get it, you see the fallacy of your request and howmuch of life's details are in your imagination.

Still, he tried and he still tries - every day to get it right.

How can she not be happy with that?