A Love Story

Two weeks ago when I heard my brother-in-law was given the mandate to immediately depart for another country, half a world away - or lose his job - my heart was laden with sympathy for my sister… 7 months pregnant, all packed and ready to go on a relaxing weekend Lamaze retreat with her husband; instead she found herself all alone, her life on hold, held hostage by this large corporation.

I suffered along with her in the anguish as we recounted the myriad of trips he has endured and wallowed with her in agony as she described the countless times this company stole her love, her life - where that departing jet left her lonely, disheartened, and feeling abandoned.

I cannot fully comprehend this life but I now sympathize with the difficulty and loneliness each departure yields. I am a culprit of immersing myself in my own chaotic life that often leaves me blind to the lives led, the joys encountered and the miseries endured by those I love the most. When this new life began for my sister and brother-in-law I was clueless to the burdens it bestowed. I was busy having babies, raising children and living life, all caught in my own little world.

But one fateful day, a year or two ago, my eyes were opened. Unable to fulfill her calling, my naturally nurturing big sister summoned me to step in and encouraged me to pay a visit to a sister in need. On this journey I witnessed Barb and Daryl dancing tenderly to “I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane”, both agonizing over their impending separation. I began to comprehend the distress they both felt each time Daryl left and I entered into their world of solitude and anxiety when he drove off in the cab.

I spent days with my sister trying to fill the void that loomed. We cooked, we ate, we drank, we played – we kept busy to occupy her mind but I didn’t hold a candle to the love of her life. I became keenly aware of the bond these two share, the souls that they both occupy, and each others hearts that they tenderly cherish.

I was eventually privy to their reunion – Barb running down the street at the first sight of Daryl’s cab rounding the corner… Daryl dropping his bags, tearing off his backpack, running to meet her half way as they tightly embraced - tears streaming down their faces, sighing in relief at Daryl’s safe return, and elated to be embracing their one true love and finding their souls reunited. My own eyes filled with tears as I absorbed their uninhibited emotions.

I don’t think I understood the sadness these separations would impart because until this fateful journey I didn’t comprehend the unconditional love and undeniable bond that defines their relationship. I now empathize in the sadness that each departure exposes but find comfort in their unwavering love story that each reunion reveals.