D'VAIRE

Every October my husband and I do our best to go to Minnesota where we spend a week relaxing in a cabin with my best friend’s mom Cecilia. (It’s just the three of us as Patrick and everyone else has declared it boring – there’s a lot of pajamas, popcorn, and movies.) Let me tell you a little about her and our relationship. When I was 23 or 24, I became estranged from my parents. It wasn’t one specific incidence or fight but a nonverbal decision on both sides that perhaps the only thing that suited us after years of issues was space. Patrick was already a part of my life and my best friend. When he got married when we were both 27, I finally got the chance to meet his family. From the moment we met them, they immediately made us feel like we were family too. Since that day sixteen years ago, we’ve spent countless moments with them. We’ve shared holidays especially Christmas, trips, and Patrick’s mom became our adopted mom. We in fact have called her mom for many years. My relationsh