Oh, have I been in love. With the Pink Panther and Kermit the Frog. With classmates, teachers, and priests. Strangers I passed on the beach while on vacation. Zach Galligan. Tom Cruise. Convinced that I was toxic and repulsive, I kept my feelings locked away in my heart.
Later on, I set myself huge challenges, trying to persuade inaccessible, sometimes damaged men to meet my abysmal need for love. I took what I was given. I wished, waited, hoped, calculated, prayed, cried, begged. I suffered.
If it worked, I’d break if off.
Photo © Marianna Smiley