ARTS AND IDEAS
Little love stories
The Times Modern Love series is a weekly column, a book, a podcast – and now, in its 17th year, a TV show – about relationships, affection, betrayal and reveal. For Miniature Modern Love, readers write stories with no more than 100 words. Here’s a snippet from three to start your day. Submit your own here.
Will she recognize him? I worry that our daughter, Sadie, who is only 7 months old, will not recognize her father after such a long time. So I wrap him in her day, put pictures of him in her crib, video chat with him as often as his work schedule and her nap routine he allows.
Months later, at the airport, our eyes met at the station. We raced against each other, my heart pounding. Moments after we were reunited, Sadie leapt from my hip into her father’s arms. – Peyton Roberts
Short script. Being in an abusive relationship is like playing a play with a capricious director. If you break character (say, go out with friends or move house without asking), they will make you pay.
So, every day, get up and improvise to the best of your ability, all for the sake of maintaining their story and avoiding their wrath. Until, perhaps, you decide to find a partner who will write the story for you, not for you. – Drew Lindgren
What remains. Long before she made her diagnosis, my cheerfully trusty friend turned sour. Pessimism and disappointment darkened her world. Finally, when her words evaded and her thoughts became disorganized, the diagnosis was made: premature dementia. Terrible, yes, but naming her condition set her free.
Now, when I visit her in her supportive apartment, a smile spreads across her face. Complex sentences were beyond her reach. Instead, she gave pure love – telling me I was amazing, beautiful, and smart. Her son said her happiness lasted for hours after our visit. – Elise Gibson
