eleven.
“I got married too soon and too young (19). It was a military marriage, the kind they warn you about. Shortly after we got married, he started abusing me. Shortly after that, he cheated on me. As a military wife, I stayed with him. I was across the country from my family and had no means to support myself. I didn’t know how to leave. Eventually, it became too much. I called my parents and they arranged a plane ticket for me to come home. I left my ex at 24 with nothing but a suitcase and started over. I lived with my parents and got a job as a waitress. That’s where I met the man I’m married to now (and forever). I guess I should say I found him again.”
“He was the younger brother of my childhood best friend, now an adult. I actually tried to resist my attraction to him because of their history. His mother had been my Girl Scout leader and his sister had been my best friend. But he won me over. He was everything my ex wasn’t: patient, kind, and caring. We started dating and quickly fell in love.
We didn’t have a penny, but it didn’t matter. In the end, he quit his restaurant job to go to school and I kept working to support us. Then, he got a job in his professional field and we started building our lives together. We got married two years after we started dating. Two years after that, our first child was born. Then, eight years later, we had our second child and completed our family.
“I am now a stay-at-home mom and he provides a beautiful life for us. But most importantly, he is my best friend and the best thing that has ever happened to me. Our days are filled with laughter and love. It is not easy to trust again after abuse and infidelity, but he has shown me patience and understanding and given me space to heal. Loving him is the easiest thing in the world and I intend to do so for the rest of my life.”
-Anonymous