IPOD moment

Fatima adjusted her IPOD. She hummed tunelessly to herself as she placed designer dress after designer dress into the boxes she was packing. She was moving, and who knew what the future would bring? Her future lay ahead of her like an unwalked road. The only problem was, where did the road lead? She didn't know where she would be living in September, where she would be working, and even more worrisome, she did not know whom she would be with . . .

Well, there was her trusty old flame. Wealthy, handsome and educated, reliable and kind, but she just wished the guy would drink one more martini. It was so hard to get him to have fun! Everything with him was full of rigid rules and regulations. With him, she was guaranteed the gorgeous country house, and she could decorate it to Martha Stewart standards without ever worrying about mobey, but she might die of boredom while living that Town and Country tableau.

Then there was her Harley driving foreman. Land wealthy but money poor, that guy was fun fun fun, possibly too fun after a few too many glasses of Crown Royal. He could build her the house of her dreams with his own hands, but then she would have to move to the remote southwest. On the upside, he gave her the constant attention and adoration she craved. On the down side, he had a penchant for dragon tattoos and black sunglasses, and more disturbingly a penchant for walking out when the going got tough.

Who else? well, there was the French-Israeli economist who competed in international body building competitions, Igor, and perhaps the brilliant, waspy young Californian political scientist Skip.

The great thing about choice is that you get to choose. The scary thing about choice, is how do you choose?