Madre Cubana e Hija

I never expected to be welcomed. Seems strange to say it, but I got used to being the odd one out in my family. The pieces rarely clicked, and that old familiar dysfunction really got into my heart. It seemed all the more unlikely that I'd ever feel at home with strangers. The only advice my grandfather ever gave me was: "don't date a girl if her family doesn't like you". Long before I met Susy, I was engaged to someone whose relatives disliked me as much as I did them. It was just as difficult as you'd imagine.

 

Susy first took me to this street eight years ago, a small subdivision on the outskirts of Chicago. I hadn't felt nervous until right before the door opened, and I was seconds from meeting the parents of my future wife. They didn't know then what they'd mean to me later, but Omar and Isis had my heart in the palms of their hands. No one ever tried so hard to make me believe I was exactly where I should be, and I'm intensely grateful for that feeling. Susy and her mother are very different people, but they both taught me something about belonging that I'm still learning to keep.

 

facebook | instagram | twitter | tumblr | youtube | etsy

 

You can support my work

get things in the mail

and see everything

first on Patreon

Done