"What if..."

I was reading a book last night in which the main character found out that her high school sweetheart got involved with the Mob and was eventually killed. She asked herself, "What if we had stayed together? Would things have been different for him? Aren't there some decisions in your life that are so profound that they not only affect your life, but the lives of those around you?" This got me thinking about K.

When we dated in high school, it was all a secret because my family didn't approve. It made things difficult for us, and ultimately, it is what came between us. After reconnecting with him, I wonder how things might have been different if we had stayed together. If he were accepted into my family, would he have gotten away from the "wrong crowd?" Maybe graduated high school and gone on to college? Or would it have worked the other way? Would he have pulled me over to the other side. Maybe I would've ended up on the wrong path... Somehow I think the first scenario sounds more accurate.

I know I can't envelop myself in "what ifs." It was just something I thought about...