Neither of us successfully converted the other.
But we kept showing up.
And as we grew older, I began to understand something important about Noah.
He wasn’t the kind of person who tried to solve your problems.
He stayed beside you while you solved them yourself.
I didn’t fully appreciate how rare that was until my parents divorced.
When My Family Fell Apart
I was twelve when Dad moved out.
Until then, I had believed my family was permanent in the same unquestioning way children believe their house will always be their house.
Then suddenly there were arguments behind closed doors.
There were boxes.
There were uncomfortable conversations.
There were nights when Mom thought I was asleep and cried in the kitchen.
Dad moved away, and everything familiar seemed to shift.
I became quieter.
At school, I stopped eating much at lunch.
Sometimes I sat staring at my food while everyone around me talked.
