Every Woman I Have Ever Loved: Submissions #5 and #6

Description: Reader submissions about women they’ve loved– all of them, or just a memorable few.

“We Had The Same First Name”

The first woman I ever loved, or thought I loved, was a fifteen year old Goth. I was twelve, and would admire her on the bus from afar—well, six seats away. I saw her sticking up for children being bullied, and dancing like a maniac. I thought about her constantly. I moved schools that year, and never saw her again.

The second woman who I ever loved was a girl I met at school. We had the same first name; we bonded over it. I was incredibly shy, and looking to be pushed around. When she arrived to do just that, it felt like a relief. Things were incredibly turbulent between us—tearful fights that lasted for days, secret kisses in the school toilets, muffled sex always soured by the knowledge that our parents might hear and find us out. We spent a year holding hands under a desk.

-Abigail, England

 

“You Set the Bar Before it All Fell to Pieces”

M

You were straight except for me, yet the story has a happy ending.

The things I learned from you and puppy love:

  • the feeling of butterflies in my stomach from doing something as simple as saying your name
  • how to be a decent kisser (that credit goes to you)
  • patience, quiescence, and tranquility
  • butterflies again, years later, at still being that exception

J

You were the only girl who ever approached me for a date and not the other way around, which in retrospect did not bode well.

The things I learned from you, which was mostly understanding what i didn’t want:

  • no means no
  • the above means nothing, because “calm down, god, it’s not like i’m a rapist”
  • even lesbians make assumptions based on how you dress, and boy is that disappointing for everyone involved
  • don’t feed the racially insensitive hipsters

C

You set the bar before it all fell to pieces.

The things I learned from you, even if it took time to come to terms with:

  • there was no part of that that i regret

-Jules, Los Angeles

Write about every woman you have ever loved. Write their names in or don’t. Be as descriptive as you want. These can be completely anonymous if you want them to be. We just need to know your name, location, and age. Send all submissions to [email protected]

 

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