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The universe has good news for the lost, lonely, and heart sick.

Sugar is here, the both of us, speaking straight into your ears.

I'm Cheryl Strayed.

I'm Steve Almond.

This is Dear Sugar Radio.

Oh, dear song, won't you please?

Share some little sweet days with me.

I check my lovebytes every day.

Oh, and the sugar you see in my way.

Welcome back. Hi, Steve.

Hi, Cheryl. Here we are with another episode of Dear Sugar Radio. This week, we're going to talk about deal killers, the things that make it impossible for one to go on in a romantic relationship or maybe even begin one. There is sort of a little game that Brian, my husband, Mr. Sugar, plays with me. We've been together

19 years. And on a weekly basis, just out of the blue, he'll say to me, what if everything

were the same about me, but I developed an interest in collecting porcelain dolls? Would you still

love me?

Oh my God, I would love him so much more.

What's the impulse behind that?

I think it's such a kinky and odd thing to do.

It is actually kind of interesting because, you know,

obviously, you know, we're being funny,

but in the course of our 19 years together,

one of the things that we've done as we've gone deeper and deeper into our

...