Repaying Grandma’s Visits
When Mom left when I was 4, I felt incomplete. Luckily, I had Dad and Grandma Marion. Whenever Grandma would visit, I’d put on my best pink dress, joyous to see her. Dad died when I was 11. In foster care, I was branded a “burden.” (I have cerebral palsy.) Not to Grandma Marion. She visited weekly, often bringing me chocolate cake, our favorite. As an adult, I became her caregiver and helped get her into assisted living. Now I visit her every weekend. She just turned 95. To celebrate, I brought her our favorite: a big chocolate birthday cake. — Sarah Cerio
‘Hold Me’
All night, you turn like rotisserie in our bed. Awake as usual, I wait for you to rotate on your back, then slide onto your chest. “Hold me,” I say. “Because my dad died, my mom is old, our son might have Covid, I had a weird dream, it’s an election year, climate change scares me, the world is in bedlam, and there are all the things I have to do tomorrow. Plus my thighs are twitching like a horse’s rump covered in flies. Hold me,” I plead, waking you. “Comfort me.” And you always do. — Joy Lanzendorfer
Braver Than She Thought
We were seated at a table for two with a candlestick too tall, too close, too on fire. The bar was electric. Loud, controlled chaos. Hayley, a California native, was in Toronto for work. We shouted across the table for hours, exchanging stories. I learned her nieces’ names. Her favorite color. That she desperately wants to go on safari, but is scared of being eaten by a lion. That she strives to be fearless but is afraid of everything. Three months later, she proposed. I’m glad I didn’t delete the dating app. I’m glad Hayley wasn’t afraid of everything. — Jess Westlake
Two Weeks Divorced
Brian was a city boy. I grew up on a dairy farm. We dated for six weeks in college until Brian returned from a family vacation with a new girlfriend. Fast forward 38 years. On a flight, Brian reached for the seatback magazine and saw a story I wrote. When he emailed, I was thrilled to hear from him. But I was two weeks divorced and told him I was done with men. Also divorced, Brian said whatever I needed was fine. We’ve now been together for eight years — happily splitting our time between the city and the country. — Leslie Forsberg
