A Super Strange True Love Story: My Disappearing Fiancé
After years of avoiding love, I found a match that seemed almost too perfect. We were practically walking down the aisle before I realized it really was too good to be true.
I still think of writing this Narratively Classic — which originally ran on June 5, 2015 — as a turning point in my career. It helped me find a voice I didn't know I had, and realize how much one's vulnerability can make others feel less alone. When it came out, a lot more people than I expected told me how brave I had been in sharing my story. This worried me at first: Had I been too candid? Should I be embarrassed? Eventually I decided that yes, I should be a little embarrassed, but that was fine — and perhaps embarrassment was the inevitable consequence of being as honest as I could. But I still didn't think it was such an act of bravery to write it. I recently understood why while reading Nora Ephron’s Heartburn. One character asks, “Why do you feel you have to turn everything into a story?” The answer: “Because if I tell the story, I control the version. ... Because if I tell the story, it doesn’t hurt as much. Because if I tell the story, I can get on with it.” (PS: Don't miss the link at the end to the "sequel," where one of the people in this story weighs in with their own surreal and powerful perspective.)
—Annalisa Merelli
