When he met my mother, she had already experienced marriage at the age of fifteen, after running off from home; one of those dark secrets kept hidden until I confronted her in my early twenties. Within minutes, confession presented itself with confrontation, and she recounted the story. A fascinating event took place; bright colors and excitement, as a traveling circus stopped in town. Love at first sight, she claimed, a towering, thin man who wore a black suit and top hat. Within a couple hours, they married, and that evening went to his trailer to engage in what married couples tend to explore on their wedding night. As he took away his hat, her stomach dropped to become extremely ill; in her own words, “All the excitement died when I discovered