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A deported dad, a city in chaos, and a Tinder sting
Three Globe pieces worth your time, plus this week’s messy relationship questions.
You’re reading Meredith Goldstein’s Love Letters newsletter. Each week, Meredith shares tales of human connection, thoughts on public policy and relationships, and behind-the-scenes stories about the Love Letters column and podcast. Sign up to get the dispatch.
This newsletter is going to be a bit of a commercial for The Boston Globe. I apologize in advance, I’m just really proud this week.
Some of you are subscribers, some aren’t. It’s OK if you’re not.
But lately I’ve read – and wanted to share – work by colleagues who are friends of Love Letters. In some cases, they are reporters who have expanded on stories they’ve told to Love Letters.
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If you’re on the fence about getting a subscription, let these stories convince you:
1. An American mother forced to choose between country and family
We had an episode of the podcast, “Mi Amor,” that featured Globe immigration reporter Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio telling the story of two married people torn apart after one of them was detained and deported.
The couple, Christina Toledo and Nexan Aroldo Asencio Corado, have twin sons. Nexan was detained by ICE and deported to Guatemala last year. Christina, who’s from New Jersey, was left behind with their children.
Up until Nexan was deported, Christina had never even been to Guatemala.
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Would the entire family decide to move to Guatemala? How would they relocate their lives?
I was hoping Giulia would follow this family, and she has.
Giulia just wrote a huge story about Nexan and Christina after traveling with Christina and her sons to see Nexan.
It’s an intimate look at the aftermath of headlines we read every day. It also includes beautiful photos by Jessica Rinaldi.
2. I was in the middle of Puerto Vallarta’s fiery Sunday. It was an unprecedented day of fear.
Our travel writer, Chris Muther, came on the podcast awhile back to tell us how traveling solo has made him a more confident person … and better in a romantic relationship. It’s a sweet, funny, feel-good episode, and it starts with Chris talking about all of the strange experiences he’s had in unfamiliar places – including getting pickpocketed in Europe and losing his phone.
Well, last week I woke up to a Globe story Chris had written from Puerto Vallarta.
I’m sure you can guess where this is going.
Chris was at a hotel in Puerto Vallarta when news broke that the Mexican military had killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes of the New Generation drug cartel.
Suddenly, Puerto Vallarta seemed to be on fire.
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Chris wrote in his story, “From my hotel, about a 15-minute walk from the airport, I could see a bus fully engulfed in flames. The same scene was playing out across the city. Cars and buses were burning along with dozens of OXXO stores, a popular convenience store chain located on many corners here. Roads that are normally filled with cars were eerily quiet.”
I have long thought, “Chris should write a book about everything he’s seen while traveling the world,” because sometimes he’s looking at an adorable cat near a palm tree, and other times he’s accidentally in the middle of big news.
I recommend reading his dispatch from a scary moment – and then enjoying his lighter fare. Chris is a reporter who can do everything.
3. The online set-up was fake, but the consequences that followed were real.
Reporter and former Spotlight editor Patricia Wen has never been on the Love Letters podcast or helped with the column, but she sits near me at work, so she probably hears me blowing my nose and chewing a lot.
Many weeks ago, she turned to me and said, “Meredith, I have some questions about Tinder.”
She went on to ask how the app works, whether you could use someone else’s Tinder account to send messages, etc.
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I had to ask Patty why she was so curious about Tinder, and she explained she was working on a story about college students who used the app to try to set up a “To Catch a Predator”-like sting.
The plan turned into a mess.
As Patty told me the details about the case, I was horrified and riveted.
The online set-up was fake, but the consequences that followed were real.Late last month, the Globe published Patty’s story about the incident – and its confusing and nuanced aftermath. It is quite a read.
From the column …
If you missed problems from the column this week, here are some memorable ones.
This letter was about lab-grown diamonds and whether they belong in engagement rings. Ring enthusiasts, this one was tough for me because I don’t care about jewelry. Feel free to chime in.
This letter was about rebound relationships. If two years have gone by, is it really a rebound?
This letter was about being dumped while on vacation. Is it cowardly to break up with someone while they’re out of town?
It is a very good time to send your own question to Love Letters. You can send an anonymous question by clicking the link right here.
Wrap it up
I’ll leave you with a picture from the dumpling class I took at Mei Mei in Boston on Sunday. Sorry my finger obscures the photo. I’m a bad photographer, especially while cooking.
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There was a couple in the class celebrating a sixth wedding anniversary. They were brought to the front of the room and asked, by the instructor, for the secret to a long-lasting relationship.
Their answer was: make dumplings together.
I’d say that’s a good tip for friendships too.
— Meredith
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