Nora Goes Off Script

by Annabel Monaghan

I distinctly remember hearing Ben use the word “shed” when we walked into it, and I ignored him the way you do when you’re trying to stay married.

iykyk

I took my coffee to the front porch, and the sunrise was the surprise of my life. I’d never seen the house at six a.m. I didn’t even know we were facing east. It was like a gift with purchase, a reward for loving this broken place.

I love how she writes 🥰

You never forget your first red flag.

Amen, sister!

At the corner of arrogance and cluelessness, you find the worst kind of person.

Cluelessness, willful ignorance - tomato, tom(ah)to

“Have you ever felt like you’re disappearing?” he asks. “Like you’re sure one day you’re going to wake up and find that the truest parts of yourself have been replaced by someone else’s plans?”

Uh hello, she's a mom

The magnolia trees that line my driveway are particularly flirtatious this morning, exploding with giant blossoms. It’s like their hormones are reacting to the presence of an actual man.

Such cute imagery ☺️

I have seen Arthur stop running down the court in the middle of a basketball game to wind his watch.

I'm sorry what century is this? 😆

He’s nervous in the way you are when you are anticipating your own failure, and he’s decided that this failure is my fault. If it’s not one thing, it’s your mother.

Ahhh...tweenagers

My kids are laughing at me, which is fine because, for now, no one’s crying.

Just mom things

“Well, my house feels like it’s had it’s Pretty Woman moment,” I say as we head to the bookstore.

her movie references are so cute

a town divided like you’d see in a John Hughes movie. If you lived up the hill, your parents were likely professionals. If you lived down the hill, your parents worked a trade. If you were me, your dad was in the business of cleaning all the professionals’ pools.

Anyone else think She's All That?

the late afternoon sun shines through the back windows as time pauses on their smiles,

His feet are like his hands, strikingly beautiful but strong.

I don't think I've ever thought of any foot at strikingly beautiful, but ok 😏

For some reason I want to stay in this moment, ride this line, so I can both know and not know what’s about to happen. It will be the Schrödinger’s cat of kisses.

Such an accurate description of that feeling

When you’ve been in a lot of debt, having no debt feels pretty rich.

preach!

there are parts of people you can’t unsee after years of living with them.

If you own up to not being perfect, life gets easier.

Also works for parenting

Do they know to run in a zigzag if they’re being chased by a bear?

In FL they say the same think for gators. 😏

I want to text Leo about this, but sort of feel like it’s too much. I’ll tell him when he reaches out to me. That’s what a normal, not obsessed, girlfriend would do. And for now, that’s what I’ll pretend to be. He’s doing his thing and has other stuff on his mind, I’ll pretend I do too.

Admit it, we've all been there

Arthur smiles from the inside, a smile that tells me that he knows who he is and he knows he can do things. The basic truth of parenting fills my heart: If your kids are okay, you don’t really have any problems. I will relish this feeling.

a joyful, easy marriage is possible.

like I suffered temporary insanity.” “Sometimes that’s what love is,” she says.

The best antidote to old memories is new ones.

To write is to re-create something as you’d like it to be.

in today’s episode of fresh hell.

😂😂😂

Life really is a mixed bag.

💯

I wasn’t willing to make room for what was so obvious. There’s nothing more shameful than this retrospective knowing, because it reminds you how blind you can be to things that don’t jibe with the reality you’re trying to believe in.

Their movies offer a sub-fantasy of resilience: The guy leaves and the girl is sad, but then thinks, Hey, I still have my cupcakes and my friends and family. I’ll be okay. He returns to find her nearly thriving. He never returns to find her in the fetal position, clutching a fifth of gin.

Referring to "the romance channel" movies.

the best things come back. Sometimes it’s right after the commercial, sometimes it takes longer. But time and sunshine bring growth, and life unfolds just the way it’s supposed to.