“It was a very handsome man in front of me. As we spoke, I thought to myself, ‘I’ll probably never see him again.’ Weeks went by and I had almost forgotten about him. Then, one day, I was walking back onto the ship when I saw a man being scanned through security. I peeked over at his name tag. My heart fluttered.”
‘I was working on a cruise ship. I stepped out for fresh air. I didn’t know this decision would change my life. As it began to rain, I heard someone speak.’
‘Somebody stop that dog!’ I was in the right place at the right time. Cars zoomed by. Once I was close enough, I dove for the dog on asphalt.’
“I spotted a large white, fluffy dog. There was no owner attached to his leash, and the dog was running frantically down the middle of a busy intersection. We ran in dress shoes, heels, sneakers until we had blisters. The next 3 miles were a blur. We were shouting, but most of all, determined.”
‘My sister’s back in town, newly divorced. You should give her a call.’ I heard a knock. He looked up and smiled. I thought, ‘One day, I’ll marry this man.’ I didn’t tell him. Why ruin the moment?’
“A friend asked, ‘What has kept you married for 42 years?’ The last 5 decades have gone by in the blink of any eye. I could see by the look in my husband’s eyes what his answer would be.”
‘I don’t have another three to four hours. My mom is dying!’ It was a 400-mile trip and they were complete strangers. ‘I’ll take you,’ I said. They looked at me in disbelief.’
“My mom has terminal cancer and it’s only a matter of seconds, minutes, hours before she passes.’ The passenger wheel was hanging off and their eyebrows were furrowed in distress. I had work very early the next morning. ‘Why don’t you come sit in my car for a bit?”
‘My mom quickly shut the door. ‘I’m gay,’ she said. It didn’t make sense. My parents slept in the same bed, said ‘I love you’ every day. I looked in her eyes and said 3 words I regret to this day.’
“‘I’m seeing a woman.’ My mom and dad were still married. My thoughts were spinning. ‘You remember her, right? We both nodded our heads. In fact, I loved going over to her house. The next question out of my mother’s mouth floored me. I was shocked.”
‘If it makes you happy.’ My son begged to wear a dress. In our house, kids explore who they are, no restrictions.’: Mom embraces ‘atypical’ son, ‘kids deserve to be happy and free’
“At first, it was little things. Nails, glitter, flowers, pink and purple. Then, one day, he came home crying because he wanted to wear a dress SO badly. He decided upon his sister’s light pink frock. I could see the pure joy on his face and how beautiful he felt in it. The next day at school, I heard parents snickering as we walked by. But Levi didn’t. He was far too joyous to even notice.”
‘On the night of our honeymoon, I saw the DARKER side of my husband. My heart was beating out of my chest. He crouched down and whispered in my ear, ‘You… are NOT going to tell me what to do.’ I felt instant regret.’
“I went to my bedroom and packed everything as fast as I could. My phone pinged. ‘You’ve got 1 new voicemail!”
‘Hey, here’s a photo of us when we were little.’ I tapped him. It was probably a creepy move.’: Woman runs into childhood friend after decade apart, ‘flower girl and ring bearer’ before bride and groom
“On my first day of high school, in walks a new boy with familiar bright blonde hair. His name was Briggs and for some reason I couldn’t get it out of my head. I still remember the first time I went into his house. His mother led me to an old photograph hanging right on the wall. It was me. In that very moment, I thought to myself, ‘This is the man I want to marry.’ I felt completely at home.”
‘We moved in together. He was back and forth between me and the girl he was messaging. When I’d try to date someone else, he’d be back on my door step asking for another chance.’
“I’d always take him back. Any extra money I made was used to try and convince him I could love him more. Eventually, my best friend suggested I give up the fight and look into online dating. ‘It’s just nice to meet people you don’t know.’ I only ever sent one message. My life changed forever.”
‘That’s my family,’ he said, pointing to us. The man looked back in shock and refused to let my husband through. Our daughter Ava began shouting his name.’
“I remember overhearing Justin telling the kids they were not allowed to scream in grocery stores. That someone might think daddy isn’t their ‘real daddy.’ That he’s trying to take them. It all made sense to me when we went to the airport as a family, and Justin was stopped.”
