Tiny Love Stories: Everyone Knew but Him

Modern Love in miniature, featuring reader-submitted stories of no more than 100 words.

Lucky There Isnt Another Place

I owned a small laundromat called The Laundromat on Fire Island. Carol walked in with musty sheets and towels from her share house. I quoted her $48.50 (this was in 1976). Im from the Bronx, she said. I dont pay $48.50 for laundry. Im going to the other place. She left in a huff, returning only an hour later, all disheveled, hot and annoyed. There is no other place, she said. I know, I replied, but I couldnt tell you because I know you wouldnt have believed me. And thats how I met my dear wife of 43 years. Rick Kushner

A Dream, Long Deferred

I was 7 or 8 when I first felt attracted to other girls. I dreamed of falling in love with a woman. But I belonged to an evangelical church and didnt think it was possible. I married a man at 25, hoping it would be enough. But dreams do not easily die. When I met Liz, 24 years of marriage and three children later, my soul awakened. Now, at the age of 64, I am genuinely free. Free to be seen as I am, not as I pretended to be. Free to experience a love that wildly surpasses my dream. Kim Stamp