My mother was a controlling and manipulative woman who was always trying to control my life. I hated her for it but I didn’t have the balls to stand up for myself or leave home. I was raised by a strong-willed woman who always spoke her mind and did what she wanted with her life. She was an inspiration to me, though not in the way that most people would assume. It wasn’t so much that I wanted to be like her as much as it was that I wanted to be myself without apology.
I was done with the bullshit and drama that comes with being a member of the family. I was just happy that my nana wasn’t dead. She was a tough old bird, and I knew she would be okay. I’d been living the life of a rebel for years, and I had no intention of changing my ways. The next day I went to visit my nana in the hospital. She was recovering nicely and looking forward to getting home. After that, I took a walk down the street to buy some cigarettes and stopped at a small café nearby. A man approached me while I was sitting there enjoying my cigarette. I was living in my own apartment and working two jobs, and it was the first time I felt like I had some semblance of freedom. My nana had been a constant reminder that there were some things that I could never escape from. She loved me dearly—as did her husband and children—but she always tried to force me into something that didn’t fit me. I had a good job and was making decent money, but I still felt like something was missing. It wasn’t until years later that I realized what it was: my nana’s presence in my life. She had always been there for me when I needed her most. I would help out with the bills when I could and go to visit her as often as I could, but that was all I could do. I had my own life to live and couldn’t be tied down by a wheelchair-bound grandmother.
What I didn’t know was that change was on its way to me. It came in the form of a man. A man who caught my eye at the bus stop one day and never let go. I couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was, but there was more to him than just his good looks. There was something about him that called out to me on a deeper level that I didn’t fully understand at first.