October 1993. Lima, Ohio. Years and Years ago…

A cool autumn breeze blew through the maple trees in a picturesque little park just on the outskirts of the small town. The sounds of the ruffling leaves that were beginning to fall to the ground in scattered rainbows of oranges, reds, and yellows along with the playful laughter of distant children were all that could be heard on this auspicious day.

At the southwest corner of the park two young ladies could be spotted, sitting comfortably next to each other, both of them seemingly glowing. An air of hushed excitement clung to the two of them as they soaked in the beauty of the day, and watched the children play blissfully.

One of the women was tall and blonde, with eyes as bright as the baby blue sky. Her slender figure was one millions were envious of, yet her features were humble and soft, like that you would expect from an angel of the heavens. Her skin was pale and vivid; practically translucent.

The other woman was the complete opposite of the blonde, but not any less exquisite. Ethnically inclined, she was considerably shorter, but still just as petite. Her skin was a warm almost caramel color and her hair and eyes were as dark as rich coffee.

"Oh Maribel!" The blonde women exclaimed excitedly. "Congratulations! What perfect timing!" She smiled enormously at her good friend while she rubbed her own stomach affectionately. The level of her voice never reached more than that of one spoken inside, but excitement leaked visibly through her eyes and tone. She has never been one to be loud and boisterous, but more soft spoken and eloquent.

Her companion tilted her head back to the wind as a larger breeze suddenly swept through, letting it entangle through her hair. The look on her face was one that suggested she was savoring the sentiment of the moment, trying to remember every last detail as if she would never experience it again.

She smiled toward her elegant companion, nodding in agreement. "Yes my dearest Fallon. We are finally getting everything we have dreamed of ever since we were young. Now we can watch our children grow and become as close as we have been in the last 17 years." She closes her eyes in peaceful reminiscence as Fallon looks out across the park.

"Can you imagine Belly? If one of us has a boy and one of us has a girl? The possibilities of love…. We may have a marriage to plan in our future!" Fallon's eyes glaze over animatedly as she lets her imagination get the best of her.

"Fallon! I'd like to just focus on bringing the little tykes into the world before we start planning a wedding!" Maribel says in mock exasperation. Maribel has always been the sensible one of the two. For as long as they have known each other Fallon has always been the daydreamer, and Maribel has always had two feet planted firmly on the ground. This was not to say that Maribel was uptight or boring, she just kept a hopeful realistic light shed on the world whereas Fallon let her dreams and imagination sweep her off her feet in any direction.

Her voice is light and amused as she speaks. "Besides! We could both have boys! Or girls! Wouldn't that be something?" Fallon considers these possibilities with a look of utmost pride and happiness strewn across her face.

"You're right. I shouldn't be jumping the gun yet, it's just so exciting! But no matter what the circumstances turn out to be, the only thing that matters is that we are doing this together. Just like we always wanted." Fallon bounces a little in her seat and Maribel laughs kindly at her.

"I just can't believe it's really happening. When Santos finally agreed to start trying I never would've imagined it would happen so fast, we are very fortunate to have conceived so closely together. Our children will be the same age, which means they can attend grade school together and everything! Aye Dios mio…" Maribel turns her attention to the children playing in the distance. Fallon takes notice and follows her gaze.

"Just think, in a few years, our children will be playing in this exact park together. Later they'll be on the football team together or on the prom committee. They'll be each other's best men or maids of honor. It's just so overwhelming. I couldn't have asked for more." Fallon turns back towards Maribel and places her hand gently overtop of hers. Maribel smiles warmly in response and gives Fallon's fingers a friendly squeeze.

"Yes we are very lucky. I think that fate has laid a hand today. It will be such a wonderful blessing to see their story unfold right before our eyes." Maribel states gracefully. As the sun begins to set over the top of the trees the two girls stand from their peaceful spot on the park bench and make their way back to their cars. They hug and exchange their goodbyes as they temporarily part ways. One heads for the center of Lima settled in a quaint development and the other back to the poorly reputed Lima Heights Adjacent.

Never was there a more odd and unexpected friendship than that of the two girls from the opposite sides of the tracks, but little did they know that their friendship would soon serve a bigger purpose. Nine months later they would both be the proud mothers of two little girls: Santana Marie Lopez and Brittany Susan Pierce. This is their story.

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