Ex-Girlfriend Emma Carter has a lot on her mind. Her boyfriend got a life -- in L.A. Her hairdresser found God. And that extra ten pounds of "relationship flab" she acquired while falling in love with a commitmentphobe has just put her out of the running for new romance -- or so she thinks. But before Emma can get on with her life, she's got to face a few startling truths about being single in New York City . . .

Confession #5: Marriage suddenly seems like a social disease.

Even the latest bride in my family -- my mother -- has put me to work in the service of her wedding day. What about us non-bride-to-be's? I wonder now. Working in the warped little world of wedding planning has only led me to one conclusion: If you don't get married in this world, you get nothing. Once, in an editorial meeting, I jokingly suggested that a woman should get a bridal shower when she turns thirty, wedding or not. Everyone looked at me as if I were some kind of nut. I am 31 years old; am I not entitled to free Calphalon yet?

Whoever thought that baring your soul could be this good?