October 31, 2024

As told to Yolanda Wikiel

Illustration: Palesa Monareng

Rebecca’s first marriage ended in a domestic violence incident. She lived in Essex, England, at the time, and the police there sent her and her four children to a secret location where domestic violence victims could hide from their partners and try to make a new life. The family lived in this women’s refuge for six months, sharing one room with five beds. “The kids thought it was a big adventure.” Rebecca says. Then they moved into social housing — affordable homes subsidized by the U.K. government — until Rebecca could save enough for her own place. She cleaned houses and then worked in a clothing shop. “I just did what needed to be done and didn’t think about it much,” she says. As her kids grew up, she told them that their father wasn’t a nice man. “They had a good life, so they didn’t feel the need to ask much about him,” she explains. After a few years, Rebecca started her own floral company creating arrangements for weddings, funerals, and other events. She loved the work and decided that between flowers and her kids, she was content and could happily stay single for the rest of her life.

Rebecca shares the story of her unexpected romance with a man from the other side of the world who also happened to be a single parent of four kids, and the bittersweet birth of their youngest daughter.

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