My Dear Reader,

If you have followed this guidebook faithfully, then some time has passed since you first read my foreword, no? I can only imagine how confused you must have been that day, suddenly finding yourself married to a mamono you had never met before. On that day, without any prior warning, your life changed forever.

I'm sure you were scared, at first. The responsibility, her strong feelings, and the sudden shift to married life. . . It would certainly be a lot! Considering how we already knew you were in, to put it delicately, a bit of a low place, I think it's safe to say that you might have wondered if this was all some sort of cruel joke.

Do not feel ashamed to admit those feelings if they are the truth; there's no hard feelings on our end!

Anyway, if you've come this far, if you've paid attention to all that we have had to offer, then you have proven yourself worthy of her. You have shown us, you have shown me, that you are a considerate, caring, and all-around excellent husband. Your bogey did well to choose you. Never forget that.

But I couldn't resist getting in some sort of last word. Perhaps it's my ego. If so, please pardon me. I assure you that there is a point to my ramble. I hope to offer you one last bit of advice before you go back to living your new and improved life:

You will never be fully prepared to live with a bogey.

Did I scare you? I hope not. It is not my intention to make you feel like you've done anything wrong, or that you are otherwise unworthy of your good fortune. Your wife loves you with all of her heart; that will not change just because you've swallowed this slightly bitter pill. No, I say this to comfort you.

You may be a trifle confused. Let me explain: No matter how closely you paid attention to the advice we have provided, no matter how hard you try to follow things to the letter, you will inevitably fail at one thing or another. Your wife, like all mamono, is a living being. As you are doubtlessly aware, she has hopes and dreams, loves and desires, but also fears, dislikes, discomforts, and her own entanglements with negative emotions. You will eventually cause her some sort of pain.

Are you listening? Remember: This is not your fault. I am not passing judgment on your character. What I said before, about how she is lucky to have you, remains true. I didn't mention this prior to now, but we do have a sort of 'character test' that our clients secretly undergo before we ship a bogey out to them. If you received a bogey, then know that you have passed. We knew you were going to make her very happy. But if that's the case, why am I implying you will hurt her?

Because you are human, and humans make mistakes.

And that's OK.

It took me a long time to learn that lesson. Well, I know that I'm not technically a human like yourself. Still, my father is. My husband is. By virtue of my genetics, I am kinda half of one. Even as a lilim, I promise you that I have my own shortcomings that will plague me for my entire life.

I have tried to make this world just a little better for people like you, people that I thought could really use a leg up in life. I think, in the end, we do not have the right to judge whether we did good jobs or not when we embark on these sorts of monumental tasks. Our biases, for better or worse, get in the way of the naked truth. We see imperfections that are not there, or perhaps we ignore obvious flaws. It is part and parcel to life.

The point is that, although I have a pretty good life, with a loving husband, large family, and now daughters of my own, I still have moments where I feel like an utter failure. There is still a lot of ugliness and hate in the world, and we all perpetuate it at different points. Some obviously do it more than others, but the fact that I have sometimes snapped at my husband due to stress or some other negative feeling makes me incredibly guilty. After all, the whole point of my venture is to spread love. How can I ever hope to build a better world when even I can make it a bit worse?

I have since come to the conclusion that a world without some level of negativity is impossible. A true utopia is a pipe dream. My mother and father still believe that, one day, there will be no more suffering in the world ever again. I disagree. We are flawed creatures; we'll always be that way.

Wow, that's depressing, huh? I guess that means we should just give up and wallow in our own misery, right?

Ha, of course not! Why would I even run this enterprise if that was the case?

We fail sometimes. We are capable of ugly actions, dark thoughts, and nasty beliefs. Through ignorance, poor decision-making, or even malice, we can cause pain to those we love. I think it is simply one of the aspects of living. Nobody alive today is completely exempt from this truth. However, despite my somewhat cynical claim, I do believe that there is an extraordinary amount of good in this world. Love is a powerful force. My father and mother have proven that love can make the world a better place. I hope my own accomplishments have helped further that sentiment, as well.

So take comfort in the fact that failure is a part of life. This whole booklet's purpose was to gently aid you, to help mold you into the best husband you can be. Now that we're at the end, though, it's important to take a step back and realize that you'll still make mistakes. Don't bog yourself down with the knowledge that you will inevitably mess up; embrace it! Know that, in spite of whatever flaws you may possess, you remain your bogey's world. If you hurt her, take comfort in the fact that as long as you seek an understanding as to why, she will forgive you. Communication is important in any relationship, and although they certainly can help, hugs alone are not capable of solving anything.

That is your final lesson, and hopefully it is one that you will take to heart more quickly than I did.

Now, onto a more wholesome topic: Your accomplishments. You've come a long way, haven't you? Are your thoughts just a bit brighter? Are your steps just a tad peppier? Do you find yourself less worried about what the future might bring? I hope so, my dear reader. I hope she has helped you learn to truly love yourself. I'm proud of her. More importantly, I'm proud of you.

You taught her to live.

By introducing her into your life, by showing her that there was a place in your heart, you exposed her to a world of possibilities. There is no telling what experiences you two have shared since that very first day, but whatever they may have been, you showed her the world. Just by staying at her side, you've given her a purpose. For that, I thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart.

There is no telling what awaits. You may still find heartbreak, pain, and suffering on a significant scale waiting. But now that you have her in your life, I firmly believe that, no matter what, joy, prosperity, and companionship will remain a constant. Your happily ever after has arrived; enjoy it!

I wish you both the best!

Sincerely,

Jasmine Silver

(P.S. If you ever want to reach out to the company, feel free to email us. We like to collect testimonials from our clients. With your story, not only will you be helping us with future clients, but you will also provide another success story, boosting the morale of both our workers and our unmarried bogeys!)