Why Did I Get Married; Part One ☾☀︎ Camren

Part Twenty Two: Family

Family.

Family is family, whether it's the one you were born with, the one you end up with or the one you gain along the way.

Even if you gain family unconventionally; say your father's infidelity. At the ending of the day, they're still your blood. You can choose to accept them or not.

That's all up to you; whether you forgive your father for all the pain and hurt that he caused you, and accept his child or children into your life, or you can simply just walk away.

Please remember, the people who left, the people who could not value you, the situations and the relationships that did not work out, and all the endings to everything... they all led you here.

You're growing. You're finally letting go, accepting the things that you simply have no power over, and you're focusing on you.

Here lies your losses, and your lessons.

Here you are, learning about yourself; your strengths, your weaknesses, your resilience to get back up and fight the things that knocked you down in the first place.

Here you are healing. And even if it doesn't feel like you are, even though you have bad days when you feel like the entire world has conspired against you...here you are choosing to continue. Here you are not giving up; on family, friends but most importantly, yourself.

You are choosing to move forward in the direction of all you deserve, no matter how slow the progress may be.

Here you are finding yourself again, after you swore that you lost yourself.

Finally, here you are...coming home.

***

"Lauren...Izzy," Camila scooped her daughter up. "I'll like you to meet someone. Well two someones." She gestured at Valentina and Becky.

"Wait," Lauren stared at the woman. "Haven't I done some work for you?"

Valentina stuck her hand out. "Valentina García is my government name, Valentina Cabello is my married named."

Camila looked on at the exchange of her wife and stepmother.

"You're Camila's stepmother?" Valentina nodded. Lauren then turned towards Rebecca. "Wait! Didn't I meet you at the park?"

Becky smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. That's me. Rebecca Cabello. The younger, cooler Cabello."Camila laughed and playfully shoved her sister. "Hi, Izzy! It's so good to see you again."

"Izzy, baby, this is your tía Rebecca," Camila told her daughter.

The child furrowed her brows. "Isn't aunty Maggie my tía?"

Camila nodded. "Sí. But Becky is my sister, so that makes her your new tía."

After a moment, Izzy's eyes opened widely and she beamed in excitement. She stretched her arms out towards Rebecca. "Hi, aunty Becky!"

The teenager laughed. "Hey, squirt. I guess, we'll be seeing more of each other now, huh?"

"And Nugget too?"

"And Nugget too."

Valentina looked at the child. She didn't necessarily know what to do. "Izzy, this is Rebecca's mummy..." Camila paused for a second. "She's your other abuelita."