Before We Were Strangers: A Love Story

FOURTH MOVEMENT: EVIDENCE OF A LIFE BURNING WELL

ASH

My parents got married by the justice of the peace with me as their witness. In fifteen years, I never saw my mom look so full of life and love and happiness as she did on that day. I can’t imagine what would have happened if they never saw each other on the subway. Would they have carried on with their lonely lives, living like two halves of one heart, just out of reach of each other? Who knows? All I know is that I’m glad they found each other again.

That summer, we all ended up going to Europe with the New York Philharmonic and then to California. It was like a grand honeymoon/family vacation. After we got back, Dad moved in with us. My parents were like teenagers in puppy love, with their faces attached to each other all the time. When I would roll my eyes at them, my dad would laugh and my mom would whine that they deserved it, that they were just making up for lost time. I liked giving them a hard time. It was actually really cool to know my mom and dad liked each other so much.

Dad kept his loft a few blocks away and we converted it into an art studio/office. We called it the Louvre. Mom loved to watch us at work in the studio, and she would play music or bring us food when she wasn’t teaching.

I became a big sister a year after they got married. Finally, someone else to shoulder the burden. Actually, I really kind of adore my little brother. Leo. He’s just a baby, so how bad can he be?

I know my mom and dad made mistakes and that connections were missed, but somehow I feel lucky because of it. Who knows what might have been if everything went perfectly for them? I know I got two awesome dads who loved me like crazy, and I got to see my own parents fall in love. How many people can say that?