*This is a true story. Names and places have been changed for privacy.

The first time Heather saw Jacob was in 1998 at an early summer wedding in a coastal town north of Boston.  It was the wedding of Jacob’s mother, Ellen, to Robert, the step-cousin of Heather’s husband. 

Heather was twenty-three, already unhappy in her marriage to a man who was eight years her senior.  She wanted to enjoy the reception, but on this night a cloud of sadness hung over her.  The hard truth had hit home.  She would never have a respectful partnership with her husband like the one Ellen and Robert were just beginning.

There had been time for most of the guests to indulge in a few drinks.  Heather wasn’t used to drinking much, but felt the prop of a full glass would help her look more like she was participating and not wallowing in her downcast mood.  She went to the bar and ordered something light. 

As she waited for the bartender, the crowd became more rowdy, singing loudly, whooping and whistling.  Heather turned towards the scene and that’s when she saw him, a teenage boy in the middle of the dance floor with one of his friends, laughing and having fun, moving with the beat of the music.  Nearly everyone was up on their feet cheering them on.  Their cool confidence was infectious.

For a brief second, Heather felt an inward shift and her mood brightened.  She watched as the room transformed into club mode with Jacob at the center.  There is a boy who is going to make some girl very happy one day, she thought. The bartender slid a sparkling glass across the bar.  Heather picked it up, looked at the rising bubbles and took a sip.

Turning away from the dance floor, Heather walked towards the windows, blackened from the night sky beyond.  It was the reflection of the scene behind her that she watched, not the dim view of the harbor through the glass.  This was how she felt in her marriage, trapped and alone, watching from afar as the world carried on happily without her.  

It was about a year later when Heather received a call from Ellen.  She had been diagnosed with multiple meningioma, a rare, but treatable condition with the right care.  After the wedding, Ellen had moved to the town where Robert’s family lived, and Jacob and his sister moved in with their father to stay in the town where they’d grown up.  None of Ellen’s own family was nearby to help her with everyday things after surgery.  Ellen was alone and Heather knew about that all too well, so of course, she did not hesitate.  Little did they know it would be the beginning of a lifetime long friendship.

Over the next twelve years, Ellen became a surrogate grandmother to Heather’s daughter and a good listener about Heather’s marriage problems.  During a short-lived effort to turn their marriage around, Heather and her husband decided to have a second child and asked Ellen to be the godmother.  When Heather finally made the difficult decision to leave her husband, Ellen cared for Heather’s kids every day after school so Heather could work towards a promotion and afford an exit plan.  And when the day of the exit finally came, it was Ellen who helped execute the details so Heather and her kids could reach safety.  For several months afterwards while Heather’s divorce was in progress, Ellen remained a steady anchor and emotional safe harbor for Heather.

Little did either of them know that in another city across the state, Jacob’s marriage was also imploding.  Since Jacob had met his wife, he’d had little interaction with his mother.  Heather had only seen him once from afar since Ellen and Robert’s wedding.  He was different, more subdued and hardened.  Though she didn’t talk about it much, it was an obvious root of sadness for Ellen. 

Fortunately, things were about to change for the better for all of them.

To be continued…

Read Jacob’s story here:

https://cursehunter.wordpress.com/2022/02/08/jacob-truesday-story-2/

Read Heather’s story here:

https://cursehunter.wordpress.com/2022/02/01/heather-the-first-truesday-story/