A Story of True Love

by Keely Fiedorowicz

It was a briskly cold winter day in 2008 when my mom received the text. She had no idea possibility rode the frisky winds, and no idea of what was to come. The text was from a “frenemy” from high school, called Angela, who made Cruella de Vil look like Strawberry Shortcake. As the winter light shone down on the screen, my mom sighed heavily and tapped out her answer, “Yes, I'd love to see you and meet your new fiance. When you're in town, swing by my house.”

She didn't think Angela would actually show, but she did, a cute, tomboyish woman she'd met online in tow. My mom couldn't help but feel an attraction, much to her shame. This was Angela's fiance. Despite this unfortunate truth, attraction grew wild in my mom's heart, an unruly secret garden. She knew she had to escape this garden, and not just because Angela's fiance was, well, Angela's fiance. But also because my mom was a mother to two young Special Needs children from her last marriage, and she was sure that would be a deal-breaker for anyone, including Nichole, Angela’s fiance. Yes, this needed to be kept surreptitious and repressed.

Marci- my mom- welcomed Angela and Nichole into her home nevertheless. Nichole introduced herself quietly, appearing to be somewhat shy. But, as she became more comfortable, her personality began to shine through, and she opened up, like a flower unfurling in warm spring sunshine. Marci couldn't help but admire her, and ask herself how Nichole couldn't see what an abhorrent person Angela was. Even if they'd met online and this was one of their first face-to-face visits, Angela wasn't the best at covering her tracks.

“Don't worry,” my mom joked to Angela as the visit continued, “I'll steal her from you.”

Of course, my mom wasn't REALLY planning on stealing Nichole away. But the longer the visit went on, the more sure she was that Angela wasn't right for Nichole.

Eventually, the visit had to come to a close. A strange sense of melancholy came over my mom, but she traded contact information with Nichole, so they could keep in touch. Angela couldn't have been happy about that, but she hid it well. Our little family- composed of myself, my younger brother, and my mom- said our goodbyes to Angela and Nichole, and Angela and Nichole left, neither realizing their parts in our life stories were far from over.

Weeks passed, slipping away like drops of condensation on a glass, and a friendship blossomed between my mom and Nichole. After a week or two passed, Nichole started to voice to my mom that she was seeing some cracks in Angela's “perfect” facade. My mom didn't want their relationship to fall apart, but she did want to believe Nichole was strong enough to rise from the rubble. My mom refused to confirm Nichole's suspicions, and remained neutral. However, Nichole and my mom slowly grew closer.

After a few months, Nichole told my mom she was leaving Angela. Angela apparently didn't take the news well, but Nichole cut Angela out of her life completely, nevertheless. My mom was secretly relieved Nichole left Angela, although her feelings for Nichole were still platonic. She just cared deeply for Nichole already, the affinity in her heart for her as deep as the very Earth we stroll upon.

I was young when this all went down, so I have very little memory of when Nichole first entered our lives. However, I can guarantee from what I know now that she was something special, and that my mom had good reason to admire her. Nichole was funnier than Hollywood's best comedies, more selfless and giving than an oil baron, kinder than a humanitarian, and more unique than a person’s fingerprint. Not only that, my mom had just lost her father, who she was devastatingly close to, and Nichole helped her process and heal, rubbing salve where life had left her raw.

I'm exactly not sure when my mom's romantic feelings for Nichole developed, but to my mom's anguish, Nichole didn't feel the same. By this point, they were best friends, and she was visiting our little family often. But love is a cruel, sentient being, and the realization that Nichole didn't feel the same way was obviously agonizing. Still, my mom and Nichole agreed to stay friends, even if it was a tad awkward.

On the night of July 4th, 2009, my life and the lives of my mom and brother changed forever. On this fateful night, my mom had invited Nichole over for a small 4th of July family get-together. In attendance were my brother and myself, our aunt and uncle, and our grandma.

Soon, hamburgers were sizzling away on the grill, the scent of cooking meat filling the warm summer night. Laughter and pleasant chatter filled the balmy night air as well, and it was one of those nights you just know will always be remembered.

As the stars twinkled down on our little gathering, there seemed to be a soft magic in the air, turning the air electric and phosphorescent. My brother and I went inside to play on the Wii before dinner was served, and our aunt, uncle, and grandma followed, to supervise us wild children. Soon, Nichole and my mom were alone, with only the stars and moon as an audience. They shone silently, and held their breath as the two women faced each other, as fireworks crackled in both the air and their hearts.

I wasn't there to see it with my own eyes, but apparently the magic in the air filled Nichole and my mom. An earnest conversation flourished, ending in a mystical first kiss. By the time the rest of us rejoined the two of them, to admire the fireworks and eagerly consume burgers, a romantic relationship had begun, one that would change all of our lives forever. Because, you see, this was how my parents met. My mom did indeed steal Nichole from Angela, and 16 years later, my mom and Nichole are still together and madly in love.

Nichole and my mom married In 2016, after almost a decade together. I consider Nichole to be my mom too, and I love her endlessly. The man who sired me hasn't been my father since I was six years old, and Nichole has raised me, filling a void without any hesitation. Both myself and my brother were difficult children, and lugged with us A LOT of baggage, shackled to us with unbreakable cuffs. Yet, Nichole didn't care, and loved- and still does- love us unconditionally, without question, hesitation, or restraint, as if we're her own flesh and blood. And I know she will love me until her final days, and then on into whatever awaits us after death.

They say love conquers all, and that it's an untamable beast, that it can raze whole cities and burn like a wildfire. I can say for sure that they are right. I've seen true love with my very own eyes, and as the stars shine down on me like they did on my parents all those years ago, I can only wish I will someday find that same kind of love. Of course, I'd prefer it if the love of my life isn't engaged when I meet him, but again, love is an untamable beast, and who am I to try to set conditions? I'll leave it up to the stars…

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Nonfiction Writing Contest contest entry

The collage used for my header image is made up of pictures of my mom and Nichole, throughout their now 16-year-long relationship.

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How my parents met

A Story of True Love

by Keely Fiedorowicz

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