Personal Stories: I Married Out of My League

By Amanda Flanigan

Editor's Note: We all know the feeling of falling for someone who seems like they're from a different world due to class, subculture or economic status. This is one story that proves you can transcend those odds as long as you believe in yourself. I was the quiet girl with messy hair who kept to her small group of friends. I could easily fade into the background. I was forgettable.

Copyright Nic Snell, used under Creative Commons 2.0

Mike was a popular football player who was very charismatic and loved by everyone.

Mike was best friends with my cousin and I would spend my weekends hanging out with the two of them just goofing off and having fun. It wasn't long before I began crushing on Mike. He was gorgeous with stunningly blue eyes, and could play the guitar and sing like Elvis. I dreamed about us running away together living happily ever after. But I knew that would never happen and was content just sitting in the same room as him.

Somehow during this time, Mike developed a crush on me and it wasn't long before we started dating. I felt like the luckiest girl EVER. This boy who I fell hard for actually had feelings for me?! It didn't seem possible. In the eyes of high school society, I was nothing. And definitely not someone who would capture the heart of this handsome young man.

I was not the only one who couldn't believe Mike and I were dating. He was constantly bombarded with questions of “why her?” and “you can do so much better”. And when, at the age of 16, I become pregnant with our daughter that gave people (our classmates and adults alike) a reason as to why Mike was with me. They seem to need something to wrap their small minds around our relationship because, according to them, there was no way Mike would actually want to be with me.

By Jill Boehm

Their words had a negative effect on me and damaged my self-esteem even more than it already was. But by some miracle I stayed strong and tried my hardest not to let their negativity affect my relationship with the man I loved. It was difficult, to say the least. They would try to separate Mike and I by making up lies and trying to set him up on dates with other girls.

Fast forward 17 years later, and Mike and I are still together. When we run into our old classmates, they are amazed

that we have been together for almost 2 decades. Even after all these years of others thinking (and saying) I wasn't good enough for him, we are somehow still going strong.

The point of my story is that no matter what is going on in your life, don’t let others tear you down. If I would have caved into the negatively of others, I might not have married the love of my life who, even when I am steaming mad at him, can make me laugh and giggle like a school girl. Manda began her writing career in 2007 writing for various online companies. She spends her time as a cat loving geek and mother to a teenager daughter. You can find more of her work at http://offwithherhead.org and of course here at I Feel Delicious!