Until only a few generations ago, the threat of living with “the old ball and chain” was too real. In most U.S. states, seduction statutes left some men with a choice between jail time or marriage to their compromised girlfriends. Most states have abolished these laws, the times they have a-changed, and the darkly jocular phrase can apply to either spouse. But living with "the old ball and chain" is fully and completely one's own painful choice.

Colonial Williamsburg, VA

10.02.16