The First Marriage of Sylvanus Greybeard

This article is about my first marriage, as I mentioned in my first article, I, Sylvanus Greybeard, have been married and divorced four times.

My first wife was my childhood friend's next-door neighbor. We met when I was 15 years old and were the same age. She grew up in a simple, poor, but good family. Her father was a bus driver, and her mother worked in the scullery of a medium-sized hotel.

When I was 15, we started an on-again, off-again relationship. By the time I was 17, it became a stable relationship, and I moved in with her parents, sleeping in her bedroom. I moved in at such a young age for two reasons: the first was to get away from my much too strict father, and the second, of course, was because I loved her.

Eventually, when we were both 18, we got married and had a son.

I continued to work at my father's business, where my wife also worked for a short time. Working for my father was bearable because he was always busy or away, so we didn't have to deal with him much.

The first cracks in our marriage appeared because I hung out with the wrong crowd—not my childhood friend, who was a good guy—and regularly went drinking at bars.

After I had a falling out with my father, my wife and I started a small catering business. She worked hard and contributed to everything. After two years, the business failed because my budget wasn't big enough to rent a space in a prime location in a busy shopping center.

We had to close the business with a debt to the bank and sell our house. As a result, our marriage fell apart after 13 years. I took on all the debt so that she and our child could move on without any financial burdens.

The divorce was a heavy blow for me and, of course, for my wife and our son. I dove back into the nightlife and started working for my father again. My ex-wife found a good man (as far as I can tell) whom she is still married to. She is now 69, and we divorced when we were both 31.

My Advice

• Don't get married at too young an age or for the wrong reasons. A marriage should not be an escape.
• First, get your own life in order. Make sure you live independently and have a steady job.
• Surround yourself with people who can make a positive contribution to your life. Create a good environment.
• Don't just choose a partner with your heart; use your head as well.
• Wait to have children until your marriage has been stable for a while, so children can grow up in a stable, loving, and financially healthy family.