I’m Alisa, 25. I married my husband Takaaki, 35, and moved to his hometown. We got pregnant almost immediately after we started dating. Between dealing with health issues and heading back to my parents’ place for the birth, it’s only been a few months since we actually settled in here. I’ve been hoping to make some mom friends lately, so I started taking my 6-month-old daughter, Ayane, to the local community center. But for some reason, I feel like everyone is avoiding me. I keep wondering… is it me?
Looking back, I’ve never really struggled with people before. Whether it was school, part-time jobs, or the office, I always made friends naturally just by chatting. I figured if I just put myself out there and kept showing up, I’d have a group of mom friends in no time. But instead…
My husband is a divorcee, and his ex-wife and son live right here in the same town. Meanwhile, I’m stuck in a place where I don’t know a soul, feeling more and more isolated. Every time he heads out for a visitation with his son, I swallow my loneliness and force a smile to send him on his way.