To begin at the beginning: It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black. Shadows meet in dim wood panelled rooms, hiding in the night.
The first points. A photo, dark hair.
The second, cigarette clamped between lips, inspects. Shakes his head.
There are more photographs, more rejections. Cigarette smoke taints the air.
Bible-black sky turning to pagan twilight. The starless town whispers its stories in the half morn, cuckoo calling in the frigid air.
The first points again; blue eyes, red hair. The second pauses, cigarette suspended half raised in stained fingers.
His hand moves. He nods. Cigarette glowing bright in the murky air.
To being at the beginning: There are men who make these decisions, and women who defy them.