Then and Now

I learned about life from my family. My father sucked the air from any room he walked into. His eyes pierced any morsel of joy and he consumed it with loud envy. My mother spun six plates on five sticks without the bandwidth to take on more. There was no teamwork between the two and no love lost when they were through. I zigged and zagged to find my place, never succeeding. And I cried alone with no one to call for.

And then I met a man. He was mature and hard to please. So I didn't try to please him, and I in fact didn't hide anything from him. I was 18, and he was 20, and now that seems very funny, but he seemed so much older and so much wiser. He wasn't afraid of my honesty or the truth of my broken parts. In fact, he fell in love with me and nearly scared me off with his acceptance.

We spend every day together. He fills the room he walks into with light and lots of noise. When I have five plates and five sticks, he will take the one I'm focusing on and try to spin it himself. Even though I did not need or want the help. And our child is the center of our world. He will be what and who he wants and we will sit with him wherever he needs his place to be.