A Year of Chasing Love by Rosie Chambers

Author:Rosie Chambers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2019-11-19T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Hi Rachel,

What a fascinating man Jacques Ferrer is. As soon as the taxi pulled up outside his beachfront home, I realised what a privilege it was for me to be interviewing him. Did you know Jacques was a divorce attorney in Honolulu for over forty years? Forty years! He was practising law before I was even born! I didn’t tell him that, of course, not sure whether it was so as not to appear impolite or because I didn’t want him to know how old I was. He must be approaching seventy, but he still swims in the ocean every day and plays beach volleyball with his partner! And he’s sooo handsome – thick silver hair and steel-grey eyes that swirl with unspoken wisdom; he had me at ‘Fancy a Mai Tai, Olivia?’

Ooops, sorry, Rach. Back to the task in hand!

I mentioned to Jacques my theory that in such a paradise where the sun always shines and natural beauty is abundant, romance is bound to flourish. Long-term relationships obviously have a better chance of surviving under a Hawaiian sky than, say, under the leaden rainclouds of London or Manchester. But Jacques referred me to the other states competing for the accolade of the US’s lowest divorce rate and my arguments in support of the sun-sea-and-sand combination did not stack up. New York and Massachusetts are no tropical Edens yet they’ve edged Hawaii from the top slot.

According to Jacques’ research, a common trait in enduring marriages is that both spouses have a college education. Over 80 per cent of Hawaiian residents finish high school and a significant percentage go on to college where they achieve a higher level of education. Look at Alani whose family supported her for five years whilst she studied abroad. (By the way, she won’t stop nagging you for a visit, so you and Denise might want to start saving up! I can just imagine you both dancing the hula in grass skirts and leis.)

Anyway, Jacques argues that most students wait to marry until their studies are completed. This has the knock-on effect of college graduates marrying later. Statistics apparently record teenage marriages are two to three times more likely to end in divorce. Jacques points out the earliest, most favourable age to marry is around twenty-five, after the parties have finished college and had the chance to gain experience in their chosen profession and accumulate maturity, wisdom and finances. The effect of age difference between the spouses is negligible; all college graduates are more likely to marry, their marriages last longer, and they are less likely to divorce.

Also, choosing a partner of similar educational ability results in a higher earning capacity for the partnership and, therefore, enhanced economic stability. Again, Jacques’ research has shown that couples with an income of over fifty thousand dollars are at lower risk of divorce than those earning under twenty-five thousand. A steady job and a steady income means a stable life and partnership. The family enjoys better, healthier lives,

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