Holding on as Venezuela Falls Apart
Like millions of others, we have been forced to leave our land and homes, everything we knew, owned and loved, as Venezuela falls apart. Scattered in four cities in three countries, my family has stayed together through video calls with good-mornings and nightly blessings. That wasn’t enough for my mother, who, while still in Venezuela with my father, fell sick, dropping to 95 pounds. We thought it was gastrointestinal, but it was fear and sadness: Would we ever be together again? When my sister’s family joined my brother’s in Maui, something sparked. Instant joy from this picture fueled her recovery. — Jesus Yajure
My brother’s family and sister’s family reuniting in Maui airport.
‘We Won’t Finish This Story Together’
The 19-year age difference appalled my mother: “It will kill your father!” Yet my father approved. “We don’t always understand what Gayle does,” he said, smiling, at my wedding. “But it always works out.” In time, nobody noticed the age gap — we certainly didn’t. But 34 years on, it’s gaping again. We know we won’t finish this story together. I creak a little; he creaks more. Yet we’re still riding the same wave of passion that we always have: argument, travel, art, a shared table. We will crash with happiness; we refuse to end with a whimper. — Gayle Austen
Enough Time to Tee Off
We thought we heard a flicker of a heartbeat, but it was gone now. Our doctor stared at the screen for an eternity before advising us to evacuate the now nonviable pregnancy. We were to come back in three hours. What to do with the last three hours of my pregnancy? My husband took me to the nearby driving range. With each swing, we hit out our frustration and pain. At 2 p.m. my husband held my hand and stroked my hair as our baby left my body. I had never felt more loved by him than in that moment. — Amanda Lockwood
Apart but Still Together
After paying $2.99 for Tinder Plus, I sat on my couch in Vermont, dropped the little red pin in Seoul and swiped right. So did Jun Hee. Our first FaceTime conversation lasted five hours. God, family, gayness, politics, children — we talked about it all. Not a typical conversation between two Korean men. When I landed in Incheon, he was waiting at the airport. A perfect summer together, our first relationship. Nearly two years later, we’re still apart — he in Seoul, I in Changshu — but still together. #modernromance is #real. Get swiping, kids. — Sam Jeong
When Cupid Is a Landlord
We met while competing for an apartment. I was trying to get into his head to discourage him from applying for the space, but he thought I was flirting. Fifteen minutes later, when I turned in my application, the landlord thought we were looking for an apartment together. “No, we just met!” I said. “I don’t know this guy.” “That’s too bad,” she replied. ”You’d make a great couple.” I got the apartment; he got my number. Turns out she was right — we’ve been together for eight years, married for four, and now we hope to adopt a baby. — Leah Wade
