*shudder* I forgot that Gerald was 43! I remembered that Ellen was very young, but it's been a while, and the last time I read GWTW, I was nowhere near my forties. Now, imagining myself looking at a crop of 15-year-olds to choose one for a spouse -- eerrraaggghhh! Shudder. I would probably just... actually, there is a scene from American Beauty that sums it up for me. I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it, but I laughed with delight when I saw it.