When my friend was 15, her father left her mother for another woman. She was away at boarding school, and every month all he gave her was RM10 as pocket money. No, this was not in the 1950's; we're very much talking about RM10 in this day and age. It was her mother who worked hard to keep her younger siblings clothed, fed and schooled, and to line her pockets with more than just that solitary red piece of paper. Her father was too busy with his new family, he had mouths to feed to, he said, couldn't anyone understand as he sped off in his 5-series Beemer.

During the nuptials last week, my 'newly acquired' brother-in-law had to read the takliq statement, which in effect meant that should he perform certain actions (or fail to), my sister would be allowed to seek divorce. It was a sobering moment at such a joyous occasion, a stark reminder that marriage is about responsibility and compromise; and that sometimes, that responsibility transcends the life of the marital tie itself, especially when there is offspring involved.