Tracey Segarra

It's 1996, and I'm on an express bus from the Bronx heading into Manhattan to go wedding dress shopping with my future mother-in-law. And I'm not looking forward to this because she and I are not exactly friends. Rita and I come from very different worlds.

It's 1996, and I'm on an express bus from the Bronx heading into Manhattan to go wedding dress shopping with my future mother-in-law. And I'm not looking forward to this because she and I are not exactly friends. Rita and I come from very different worlds.

It's 1996, and I'm on an express bus from the Bronx heading into Manhattan to go wedding dress shopping with my future mother-in-law. And I'm not looking forward to this because she and I are not exactly friends. Rita and I come from very different worlds.

She is this Sicilian from the Bronx, a waitress and a secretary, and a Jehovah's Witness, devout Jehovah's Witness, this strange religion I know nothing about. And I'm this middle-class Jew from Long Island, so when I start dating her son, a lapsed Jehovah's Witness who she dearly would like to come back into the fold, she and I kind of circle each other warily. And we are polite, but cold.

She is this Sicilian from the Bronx, a waitress and a secretary, and a Jehovah's Witness, devout Jehovah's Witness, this strange religion I know nothing about. And I'm this middle-class Jew from Long Island, so when I start dating her son, a lapsed Jehovah's Witness who she dearly would like to come back into the fold, she and I kind of circle each other warily. And we are polite, but cold.

She is this Sicilian from the Bronx, a waitress and a secretary, and a Jehovah's Witness, devout Jehovah's Witness, this strange religion I know nothing about. And I'm this middle-class Jew from Long Island, so when I start dating her son, a lapsed Jehovah's Witness who she dearly would like to come back into the fold, she and I kind of circle each other warily. And we are polite, but cold.

But when Fred and I decide to get married, I realize that I should make some effort to get to know this woman who's going to be part of my life. So here we are. And the ride down is very uncomfortable. She and I have never been alone in a room together, so it's very awkward.

But when Fred and I decide to get married, I realize that I should make some effort to get to know this woman who's going to be part of my life. So here we are. And the ride down is very uncomfortable. She and I have never been alone in a room together, so it's very awkward.

But when Fred and I decide to get married, I realize that I should make some effort to get to know this woman who's going to be part of my life. So here we are. And the ride down is very uncomfortable. She and I have never been alone in a room together, so it's very awkward.

But when we get to the bridal salon and I start trying on all these gowns, she tells me I look beautiful in every single one, which is a complete lie, but the sweetest of lies. And I feel myself starting to soften towards her. And then afterwards, when we get back to the Bronx and it's time to say goodbye, she suddenly grabs me and she gives me a hug.

But when we get to the bridal salon and I start trying on all these gowns, she tells me I look beautiful in every single one, which is a complete lie, but the sweetest of lies. And I feel myself starting to soften towards her. And then afterwards, when we get back to the Bronx and it's time to say goodbye, she suddenly grabs me and she gives me a hug.

But when we get to the bridal salon and I start trying on all these gowns, she tells me I look beautiful in every single one, which is a complete lie, but the sweetest of lies. And I feel myself starting to soften towards her. And then afterwards, when we get back to the Bronx and it's time to say goodbye, she suddenly grabs me and she gives me a hug.

And it's the kind of hug that tells me how much it must have meant to her that I invited her to do this with me. And it breaks open a place in my heart for her, and we start to become friends. And over the next two years, we bond over the two things that Rita loves the most, eating and shopping. Nobody can devour a lobster like Rita Romeo. And she doesn't care where she shops.

And it's the kind of hug that tells me how much it must have meant to her that I invited her to do this with me. And it breaks open a place in my heart for her, and we start to become friends. And over the next two years, we bond over the two things that Rita loves the most, eating and shopping. Nobody can devour a lobster like Rita Romeo. And she doesn't care where she shops.

And it's the kind of hug that tells me how much it must have meant to her that I invited her to do this with me. And it breaks open a place in my heart for her, and we start to become friends. And over the next two years, we bond over the two things that Rita loves the most, eating and shopping. Nobody can devour a lobster like Rita Romeo. And she doesn't care where she shops.

It could be a dollar store, a hardware store, although dollar stores are her favorites. She just loves to shop. But then when my twin daughters are born in 2000, she is my savior. I am so overwhelmed by these creatures. And every Friday, she comes out from the Bronx and she spends the weekend with us.

It could be a dollar store, a hardware store, although dollar stores are her favorites. She just loves to shop. But then when my twin daughters are born in 2000, she is my savior. I am so overwhelmed by these creatures. And every Friday, she comes out from the Bronx and she spends the weekend with us.

It could be a dollar store, a hardware store, although dollar stores are her favorites. She just loves to shop. But then when my twin daughters are born in 2000, she is my savior. I am so overwhelmed by these creatures. And every Friday, she comes out from the Bronx and she spends the weekend with us.

And when I hear that screen door open each Friday, it's like the cavalry has arrived and I can finally breathe. And she absolutely adores her granddaughters, but she is not your typical cookie-baking grandma. She's a Sicilian from the Bronx, you know? And one year, when the girls are about two or three, I hear her talking to them in the other room.

And when I hear that screen door open each Friday, it's like the cavalry has arrived and I can finally breathe. And she absolutely adores her granddaughters, but she is not your typical cookie-baking grandma. She's a Sicilian from the Bronx, you know? And one year, when the girls are about two or three, I hear her talking to them in the other room.