The Marriage Ref

Nato Devardo has always gone out of his way to be a good provider for his wife Shauna and a good father to their children. They live in a spacious home in a safe New York suburb that's patrolled by private security. Shauna loves her neighbors, her town, and the feeling she gets just looking out the windows. But Nato needs his privacy.

The couple's ongoing squabble centers on a set of blinds on a particular window which looks out to the street. Shauna loves the light and the view the window brings, but Nato wants the blinds drawn - pretty much all the time. He fears others might be looking in on them.

"We need some privacy, no?" he tells his wife as his draws the blinds for the umpteenth time. And for the umpteenth time, she asks him why.

"I close them because I protect you, I protect the kids, from the outsiders."

Shauna is incredulous. "We have a nice house in a nice neighborhood," she implores.

But Nato's determined. "I'm not closing you in a box."

"You are," she says." You’re making me crazy."

The panel is mildly disturbed. Bette warns that in five years Shauna will be "living in the basement, or a bomb shelter, or handcuffed to the stove."

But Craig understands the fear. He tells a story of how his car was robbed while it was parked in his own apartment building. Bette sympathizes but still sides with Shauna. "I've been burgled, but not to the point where it's ruined my life," she says. "I'm going with her." Howie's also with Shauna, but suggests she might think about skylights.

Tom's heard enough and summons the Devardos via satellite. "Nato," he warns, "you’re on your way to barricading yourself in the basement with canned goods and a police scanner. So just wake up and snap out of it. Congratulations Shauna, you win."

Howie suffers from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and suggests to Nato that he try cognitive therapy as a way to combat his fears head on.

The Devardos received a second honeymoon at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino. For more information, visit www.arubamarriott.com and www.aruba.com.

Travel journals coming soon!