This story is heartbreaking. I was actually not expecting it to have a happy ending. Thankfully, I can't relate to the second half personally, but I have a lot of friends and family who have struggled with infertility and miscarriages. I can relate to some of the first part, though, even though I have a pretty good mom. This section in particular:

Quote
It wasn’t like Mom and I had ever been exceptionally close. As far as mothers and daughter went, we didn’t share the kind of bond that most people seemed to have. Mushy cards that waxed poetic about how “Mom, you’ve taught me so much and I appreciate all the little things you did to make my childhood magical” just didn’t ring true for me. We didn’t have fun mother/daughter lunch date or shopping trips or pampering days where we went out and got pedicures together.
I just can't relate to people who have a close relationship with their mom. I don't understand the desire to go hang out with one's mom or be mushy and emotionally demonstrative. I have never felt comfortable confiding in my mom. I think I'm developing a closer relationship with my kids, though. We'll see how the teenage years go and whether that lasts.

Great. Now I'm maudlin. Well, off to read some fluff!


"It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then...he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him." -Batman (in Superman/Batman #3 by Jeph Loeb)