“The little shy one, against all my family, all my friends. I lost everyone. Everyone. Really. My sisters, my parents. Because I divorced, because I’m a Christian, because you can’t do that in the Christian world and that you need to endure whatever the cost. One of my sisters told me: “This is a dire situation, you cannot do like that when you’re a believer.” Everyone, friends, cousins who told me: “Oh but how can it be ? We thought you were perfect!”

People were telling me it wasn’t so serious. Because there are very serious situations of violence, things like that which definitely motivate a separation. I didn’t have all this, but I felt the need. There was a little bit of irony, things like that. Even if it’s not so serious, I hated these looks that were a little condescending and ironic. I said no, I cannot lie to my children, I cannot pretend to be happy. It shows, and it hurts them even more. Because deep down you begin to get depressed, you begin to feel symptoms of burnout, things like that.

I said no, I want to be fulfilled as a woman, really. I really want to have this spark and to be able to say that I’m happy with this person. I had it at the beginning. And then, there’s the character, maybe situations that make the partner change, and I didn’t like it. But I was facing the unknown because I hadn’t met anyone. It was only for me. I wasn’t betraying someone because I had met someone else.

Later on I found a rare gem! Someone who also wanted my three kids, the whole pack, not only me! Someone very close to the family. It’s been 20 years this week that we have met. And everything is going well! We can love two people in our lifetime, yes! I don’t believe in a unique marriage. Let’s say that we are capable of sincerely loving someone, and that after some time maybe it can wither way. The chemistry is such that it doesn’t necessarily go that far. We don’t always make it on the first try, but with the second, I really got the person that I wanted.”

(Pont de la Machine | Translated from French)