My life had always seemed shaped by bad luck.
I grew up in foster care, passed from one family to another until I stopped expecting any place to feel permanent.
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“You’re like a stray kitten.”
The shelters where I stayed between placements gave me nightmares. I had no idea that one of them would eventually become connected to the greatest kindness I would ever receive.
At one of those shelters, I met Tom, the boy who would later become my husband.
I never understood why no family chose him. Even under difficult circumstances, Tom remained cheerful, and the shelter workers adored him.
He would chuckle.
“Maybe that’s the reason I like you so much.”
We stayed in touch until we both aged out of foster care. Soon after, we went on a date and quickly realized neither of us wanted to be apart.
