I have been married to the same man for almost thirteen years. He was my first relationship where the parents of someone I was dating felt I wasn’t good enough for their son.
Before meeting my husband, I was used to being “a catch” in other people’s eyes. I was pretty enough, smart, kind, had good moral character, a generous heart, responsible, and family oriented. I never understood why I didn’t live up to their standards.
To my face, his parents were always friendly and polite, always welcoming me into their home. Those insincere moments of kindness created an illusion of being a part of their family. I wanted so badly to be one of them, to be looked at as one of their own and loved like the rest of their children.
I yearned to be loved like another daughter and accepted. The fake kindness to my face created an illusion of being part of their family and grew more layers of a veil that shielded my eyes from the truth. Layer upon layer upon layer. I only saw what I wanted to see. I saw the love that I finally belonged and was accepted by this family.
Until one day the veil fell off and my eyes were free to finally see what the truth had been all along. It didn’t matter how many years I was married to their son. I would never be one of them in their eyes. All I would ever to be to them is my husband’s wife.