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[Feb. 5th, 2008|01:23 am] |
Christie Anne Davenport:: 22 years old :: single mother
All she ever dreamed of was being a ballet dancer. She knew it would mean hard work, limited social life and even less food. She was aware how short the career of a dancer would be and yet it was still everything she thought about. Christie was raised in the south; her family moved around a lot but never above the Mason Dixon Line. The first thing she did when moving into a new town was sign up for classes at the local dance studio. Every town had one; it was how she managed to stay positive during all of the moving around. She couldn’t keep friends for long but that never mattered as long as she could dance.
As soon as she turned 18 she took all of the money she’d earned and moved out on her own. This would allow her to stay in one place and pursue her dream at her own pace without her parents uprooting her and hauling her off to another place. She worked as a dance teacher to pay for her own classes and then as a waitress at night to cover her expenses. For Christie, everything was going according to plan. Her main goal was to audition for the most prestigious ballet company in New York City. She received a letter telling her that she’d be granted the audition and it would take place just 12 days before her 19th birthday. This gave her several months to prepare. She went on a crash diet, of course, and upped the hours that she spent in the studio. She had to perfect a few routines and this became the only thing she could focus on. That is until she met him; the guy that would change her life forever. She hadn’t dated much in the past and he very quickly became her first serious boyfriend. He was good to her; very charming and completely gorgeous. Christie had been officially swept off of her feet.
The relationship moved very fast and Christie soon found herself pregnant. It was 4 days before her audition and she’d been feeling sick for a couple of weeks. She had no idea that it was morning sickness but when she’d realized she was 9 days late for her period she ran out and bought a home pregnancy test. When it confirmed that she was indeed pregnant she’d nearly passed out. How could this happen? Would she tell him? What were her options? This was the end of her career. Her mind tried to wrap itself around the thought of being a mother but all she could do was see her dreams crashing down around her. Christie Anne Davenport would not be a ballet dancer. It wasn’t possible. Her body was about to stretch and change in ways that it shouldn’t if she wanted a career as a dancer. Knowing all of this she decided to keep the baby and to tell her boyfriend. At first he was just as shocked as she was but soon the two of them realized they were in love and now they were starting a family. Christie cancelled her audition; breaking her own heart a little in the process, and continued teaching class for as long as she was able to.
The pregnancy wasn’t terribly hard on her but she couldn’t let go of the fact that her dream of dance was gone. It nagged her in the back of her mind and she almost resented him and the child she was carrying. When the baby was born; a girl named Samantha Diane after both of their grandmothers, the couple moved in together. After a year of living as a family and struggling to pay the bills and for the baby, the relationship started to suffer. Christie started to get anxious. He hadn’t brought up the topic of marriage and she didn’t know why. They were 20 years old, living together and in love with a daughter. It seemed like the logical next step. He was hesitant and she grew frustrated with it. Eventually the relationship started to fall apart. They had fights over little things, both of them secretly blaming the other for the pregnancy and the resulting outcome. There were several contributing factors but the basic reason was that they weren’t sure they wanted the same things. Hoping that space would help them, he moved out but stayed nearby; he wasn’t leaving Samantha. The baby spent equal time with both parents and they were good about splitting the costs. The couple tried to be friends but they were both still in love with the other and that made the friendship nearly impossible. They resorted to just focusing on their daughter.
Now she is 22 and Samantha is 2 years old. They’ve been apart for just about a year and neither has found someone to take the place of the other. Dating was something they both did but neither had found that right person. To anyone outside the relationship the reason for that was obvious; it was because they were perfect for each other. Christie still has hope that it'll work out and her daughter can be raised by both of her parents in a loving environment. |
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