Dear Mother,

Did you know? Your daughter is lonely.

Not all the time, of course. Just once in a while.

But when she is, she hates every minute of it. It goes against every fiber of her being. Every little thing you ever taught her.

Being a “strong woman”. Not needing a man. Treating life like an ice cream sundae, and that the lover in your life is just the cherry on top. Not a necessity, but it sure makes it all the sweeter.

She wasn’t always like this. After her break-up with her first boyfriend, she felt fine. She didn’t feel the pangs of loneliness. She was living her life just the way she wanted – free, without inhibitions.

But then, a year later, she fell headfirst into something she had never expected. And she was so, so close to getting that something, but it wasn’t to be. And the mountain of hope that had built up from it came crashing down on her. She tried to ignore it, but the rocks falling were so huge that it couldn’t be avoided.

And after that fall, after being so close to reaching something she truly wanted and being denied it, the loneliness rushed in full-force.

She knows her loneliness is nothing compared to others. “Perspective.” Your words ring through her head. And she knows the loneliness will pass. One day, just like you’ve always told her, it’ll be just a pebble. She’ll be able to look back on her old feelings with a smile. One day, she might be so far beyond it, she won’t even remember it clearly.

But it’s not one day yet. It’s still now.

And now still hurts.

Did you know? Your daughter is lonely.