One year ago, I signed up to receive daily briefings from the New York Times. After reading up on political turmoil, stock market movement, and international relations, I noticed a small section dedicated to food and other miscellaneous topics. One day there was a special section dedicated to a column I hadn’t heard of before: Modern Love.
While I’ve never been in a serious relationship, I (like most people) have a soft spot for a wholesome love story. The first piece I read, Firefighter Chases Woman Down Street, struck me as completely different than anything I would normally read.
To put it simply, the story was real. It reflects on a past relationship and in fact, the ending was a bit sad.
They were complete opposites in almost every single way. She was agonistic and liberal while he was an Irish Catholic conservative libertarian. Despite their differences, they learned from one another and grew both independently and as a couple.
She taught him about her experiences including the microaggressions she faces as a Black woman. Likewise, he shared his experiences with her, like how important his Catholicism was to him.
They stood on completely opposite sides, yet she describes their relationship as, “He and I carried the weight of our fathers, his a cop, mine a Black man in America. Every day, we each worried about our own father’s safety.”
In the end, it was the fear of commitment that drove them apart. However, this was a real relationship, not one seen in a cliche movie. There are cultural differences, viewpoints, and opinions that are seemingly insurmountable barriers for a relationship.
While I don’t think all love is forever, I do believe that people are put in our lives for certain reasons. All relationships, both the good and bad, leave something with us making us who we are. This story is a perfect example of how complex love and relationships can be.