Suddenly, she opened her eyes. And everything… stopped. Her eyes rolled around a little bit at first, but she eventually found me. And I looked back, deep into her small, beautiful eyes. She looked at me but could only see a stranger. I looked at her and could see everything she is and would become. I had known what it was to love. But I didn’t know what it was to truly, irrevocably, and unconditionally love another person, especially a kid. And I had no idea that it was possible to truly, irrevocably, and unconditionally love a kid who wasn’t even yours.
Read MoreA perm is a funny thing. Its soft, shapely curls have the ability to accentuate only your greatest of features. But if left under the dryer too long, it can resurrect awkward, uneasy sentiments of your adolescence when you could neither control nor understand your outward appearance. A perm is the best of times, and it is the worst of times. For me, it is also a memory. Of a woman, specifically, named Kathy. She lived 58 wonderful years before cancer got the upper hand. But that third chair from the door, in that familiar salon, will always be Kathy’s.
Read More