“I couldn’t admit to them how desperately I wanted to be in a romantic
relationship. Because I knew it was pathetic. Trust me. I completely understood
that women should want to be strong and independent and you don’t need to
find love to have a successful life. And the fact that I so desperately wanted a
boyfriend – or a girlfriend, a partner, whoever, someone – was a sign that I was
not strong, or independent, or self-sufficient, or happy alone. I was really quite
lonely, and I wanted to be loved.
Was that such a bad thing? To want an intimate connection with another
human?
I didn’t know.”