Mischievous Maiden

a stolen moment at the pianoforte for our beloved Michaela and Francesca <3

I mean, dear God, look at this woman:

francesca re-enters the marriage mart not because she is chasing some great, all-consuming love, but because she has a very specific dream about becoming a mother. so she’s practical about it. in a lot of ways, she’s searching for a co-parent more than a soulmate.

but then she falls in love with michaela.

and suddenly the life she carefully planned for herself — the one that felt achievable and safe — is no longer compatible with the kind of love she’s found. and suddenly she’s faced with a choice: does she hold onto the future she always imagined, the one where she becomes a mother? or does she choose great, romantic love, even if it means letting that dream go?

to me, this feels like a much more truthful way to tell a story about infertility.

because the truth is, infertility is not just about wanting a baby and eventually getting one. for so many people, that’s not how it ends. so many people struggling with infertility have to sit with the grief that the family they thought they would have isn’t going to happen. and so they have to learn to imagine a future that looks completely different, and still find meaning and joy in it.