Subject: I Don’t Think We’re Really Cousins
Dear Steve and Shirley,
In high school I liked a girl and she liked me. We talked on the phone and hung out together all the time and her mom and my mom were close too, so she was always at my house or I was at hers. By the time we graduated from high school, we were even closer and I told her that I wanted her to be more than my friend. She’s always been really close to her mom and tells her everything, so she told her mom that she and I were dating. Her mom told her that I was her cousin. When she told me we’re related, I felt strange because we had kissed a few times. We never questioned it though. We stopped dating and remained very close cousins. We still did everything together and told each other everything. By the time we were in our mid-twenties, we had both had a bunch of bad relationships and always ended up back together. I realized that I loved my “cousin” and she’s the perfect woman for me so I finally asked my mom if we were really related. My mom said we’re related somewhere down the line, but there is no way for us to find out now because all of the older relatives are deceased. I told my mom that I’m in love with her and I want to be with her. My mom told me to follow my heart. I couldn’t wait to tell my cousin how I really felt and I was relieved when she told me she’s been in love with me forever. Since then, we’ve made love a few times and I asked her to marry me. She wants to do a search of our family tree first. I don’t think we’re cousins and this is only postponing our happiness. Should we search for answers or not?"
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