Love, dishonor, marry, die, cherish, perish

When I opened the book I was surprised to see
That it was written in verse, yet the mystery
Of little Margaret and her flaming red hair,
Ended abruptly, with piqued interest - already drawn to the lair,
I kept reading on, I was a bit saddened to find
‘twasn't a novel I'd read, but short stories whose characters' lives intertwined.
That aside, I enjoyed it a lot.
Some of the characters will not soon be forgot.  
Margaret's mom, in denial, comes to my mind.
She made me so mad, she made my teeth grind.
Clifford's dreams and aspirations I wish had been realized.
Lest we forget his father: eyes full of life, body paralyzed. 
But when I think back to my favorite of all,
It is young man Nathan who answers the call. 
Duped to make a speech at his ex-girlfriend's wedding,
The ex thought she'd have a laugh hearing him stutter and watching his face reddening. 
But he had the last laugh. He was a pip.
He exposed her for who she was – man, he let it rip! 
Moral of the story: karma's a bitch, you cheating cow!
Nathan, good job! G'head, take a bow.