First, during a discussion between Cindy and her ailing, aged grandmother, the elder recalls her own ill-fitted marriage to a man who didn't appreciate her, then she cautions Cindy not to choose a man who doesn't have regard for her as a person. Cindy asks herself how she can trust her feelings when so many people have bad marriages. This Cindy is practical, pragmatic, and ambitious. Second, during a discussion with his co-workers, Dean colors himself an unapologetic romantic as he laments so many women choosing stable guys with good jobs instead of their true loves, their hearts' desire. This Dean thinks with his heart, not his head.
The couple meets and soon marries, Cindy pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's child and Dean accepting it. We don't see the next eight years of their life, but find them at the other end of those years suddenly facing the irreparable harm done after what was likely a long, slow, almost imperceptible decline. They now live a latent, settled life in the boonies that revolves around their little girl who, like Dean, is sweet but stubborn, with Cindy acting as the stressed working mother and Dean, the resignedly content husband and father. Cindy wanted more for herself, more from Dean and the years. Dean lived the years, taking what comes. Ultimately it is Cindy who discovers her love and their marriage are gone, passed from this life like the dead family dog found on the side of the road.
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