Ending 1: Second Chances Are for Suckers

In this ending, Mariel tells Everett what he can do with their "deal": "Second chances are for suckers and I'm done being one." Maybe Mariel is being harsh, but it's not like Everett forgot to pick up the dry cleaning one too many times or said that her favorite outfit made her look fat. He cheated on her--and fairly unrepentantly I might add.

By Sherri Rifkin

In my experience, the second time around has never worked out for the better whether the necessity of the second chance was instigated by infidelity or just plain stupidity. Going back to the well is bad news because not only is that whole forgiving-forgetting-learning-how-to-trust-again a tough requirement in and of itself but also there's the fact that people are human, as in imperfect and fallible, which means the likelihood of repetition is high. It's not as simple as "Once a cheater, always a cheater," as much as "It takes two to tango." It's often too easy for a couple to eventually fall back into the dynamic that created the fertile ground for the original transgression in the first place. Being on one's best behavior, especially in a relationship that is supposed to be as natural as it is intimate, is not sustainable for an indefinite period of time. It's just plain exhausting!

People may be able to change but so often it's not enough of a change to right the ship. I was in one of those circling-the-drain relationships for the better part of five years and I was just as much to blame (I later realized) for how bad it was as he was. No matter how many chances we gave it (three? four? more? I lost count), it never worked out. There are just some relationships that are not meant to be and ours was one of them. I wasted a lot of precious time on those chances that I can never get back.

Whatever else Mariel may or may not know about dating, at least she realizes the importance of cutting bait. Onwards and upwards!

Do you think "second chances are for suckers"?