MOTHERS & LOVERS
ZIGGY & TIMISHA
22 & 31
Ziggy : When we first met , I was hanging with one of my friends at the mall . He needed socks , so we went into Express . I instantly saw this girl working there wearing a pink blazer with big curly hair . We made the dopest eye contact , and I couldn ' t get my eyes off her . I went up to her and told her she was beautiful and walked away . It was love at first sight .
Tea : I felt my soul seeing an exact reflection of myself . I knew my whole life changed the second I looked at her .
Ziggy : It was difficult because I had just graduated high school about two months before we met . I didn ' t expect to meet the woman of my life . I was still questioning whether I supposed to love a woman or a man . That came from my mom . But when I saw Timisha , I had to tell her that she was beautiful .
Tea : I forgot how to talk when she said it . I always have something to say , so it was the first time I was speechless . And then she left . I told everyone , “ That ’ s going to be my girlfriend .” I came into the relationship with two kids from prior dysfunctional relationships . I had my oldest daughter at 18 , and my second at 25 . I felt a lot of loneliness as a child , so I knew I would raise my kids to have a strong feeling of companionship from me . I was raising them alone when I met Ziggy .
When we first got together , people would ask , “ How did you introduce your kids to her ?” I would answer , “ The same way I would introduce them to anyone else .” I didn ' t have to perfect it . My kids didn ' t get a special talk or anything . Love is love . I raised them to be forward-thinking and open minded , so I introduced them to Ziggy , and now they see her as mom . I ’ ve always taught them that people may have two moms or two dads , and there may be a lot of differences between you and them , but you embrace all of it because that ’ s what humanity is about . It was only natural for a relationship like this to happen .
Ziggy : Our kids motivate me every day . This is my family – mom and mom and two kids . They call me Mama Dukes ! Nobody can take my place . It ’ s like I created them too . I ’ m so excited to watch them grow and see them go to prom and graduate and find their loves and get married . They know what to look for when looking for love .
Tea : I never had good examples growing up , but for our kids , we personify strength . Even though our union is rooted in love and togetherness , there have been a lot of people who don ' t understand us . A lot of things that have happened in our lives could have pulled us apart , but through the negative energy – whether it ’ s from financial situations , jobs , family , or school – we know that we are meant to be . Everything we go through is our journey .
Ziggy : We have been through so much in the past three years . We have brought each other up through all our downs . I dealt with not being accepted by my mom . I waited and waited , and then came out as being a lesbian when I was eighteen . On top of that , I was with a woman that was 28 years old with two kids . It was difficult .
Tea : The most important thing for us , is to never let anything negative affect our minds . Later on in life we can talk about how Ziggy ’ s mom didn ' t accept us , or about the times when we only had 30 dollars in our bank account and had to struggle to provide for our children , and we ’ ll realize that those setbacks were just steps .