OK, back on topic;
benenator found
this one, going back to before the beginning.
It was posted in the WCDT, but I think it belongs here, as well.
With all the telegraphing Jeph did (hell, he was practically standing on a hill with semaphore flags spelling it all out), I'm starting to feel amazed that so many of us were thinking it could work out. Of course, hindsight is what it is, and this is a pre-elationship strip, which is mainly about anxieties over starting something, not over the relationship itself. but all the other times when they were together (including the ones not seen) make one thing painfully clear;
No matter how happy they made each other, no matter how much they (or any of their friends, or any of us) wanted it to work, there was a serious problem with the foundation of their relationship, and it was in Dora's head.
Now, bear with me for a moment, here. I'm going to extend the metaphor a lot further than it needs to go.
When a house has a serious problem with its foundation, there are only a couple of different options; you can try and fix the foundation in place, but that rarely works, unless the problem is a minor one. You can walk away, tear the place down, and start from scratch. That means a whole different house, you haven't salvaged anything.
The third option, one that does not occur to a lot of people because it's very hard to do, is to raise the house a couple of feet, and completely rebuild the foundation. It's hard, expensive, time-consuming, and the process of jacking up the house can lead to further damage if not done carefully. It's usually only done with historic properties, or homes that, for one reason or another, are considered irreplaceable by the owners.
But you can't live in a house undergoing repairs like this. Before it happens, the residents have to move out, the house will appear abandoned, and the neighbors will wonder what will happen next; will it be torn down, or rebuilt?
Even with the new foundation, when the house is lowered back onto it, there will still be a lot of repairs that need to be done before anyone is able to move back in.
This, of course, is the option I'm pulling for in Marten and Dora's case. I hate to see a beautiful and interesting house torn down. The one I live in is one I saved from the wrecking ball myself.
I just don't know that the current owners are willing to put the time, effort, and other costs into it. Ultimately, that's the deciding factor!
Why yes, both my father and grandfather were contractors. Why do you ask?