Eliza Smith was only 18 when she found herself back with her ex-boyfriend and, then, unintentionally pregnant.
Having graduated high school early and with a full scholarship to a private college, Ms. Smith had to adjust her plans. She married her ex and remained in her hometown, Joplin, Mo., finding work as a sales associate at Macy’s.
It was during a late shift in that sleepy department store that she first saw the pearls.
In this week’s Modern Love essay, “Losing the Pregnancy, the Marriage and the Pearls,” Ms. Smith describes the pain of losing an imagined future and the power of forging a new path forward.
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