I was always teased at school because I wasn’t pretty. I got the ugliest features from my pretty parents: my dad’s protruding ears, my mom’s narrow lips, my grandpa’s potato nose, as well as my overly bushy eyebrows.
The boys were always the first to make fun of my looks. They were the ones who were allowed to be slightly prettier than a monkey, and a girl had to be a beautiful swan, while I was an ugly duckling.
As I passed adolescence, I gained weight, too. My parents even made fun of me, saying, “Too bad we don’t wear hijabs, then we would have married you off. This only upset me and lowered my self-esteem even more.
I had no hope of meeting someone worthy who would like me. But at university, I was the deputy head teacher, and I often filled out journals with the head teacher, counting grades. We spent a lot of time together. Mark was a very good-looking guy, kind and helpful, and all the girls in my class liked him. And he fell in love with me.
He was the first to confess his feelings. I even thought at first that he was making fun of me, I was used to the mockery. I was cautious with him, I was afraid to confide in him, our relationship was platonic, but we only lasted until graduation, and then we started living together. He was truly a beautiful swan, and I was just… an ugly duckling next to him. But, thanks to his love and care, I wanted to look after myself, which I did, and with his support and care, I felt the most beautiful and attractive.
One night we were at my parents’ house for dinner. My mother was the first to bring up my ugliness, making fun of me even in front of Mark, obviously expecting his support. But he was more offended than I was, defending my appearance to my parents and saying that it wasn’t the most important thing, and besides, he loved my protruding ears and my lips and everything.
I never heard any more jokes from my parents. I prayed our kids wouldn’t get anything from me, just the best from Mark. And that’s how it worked out. We have two kids, and they’re both real beauties. At least I have the peace of mind that no one will mock them at school.
