Today, we’re revisiting the story of Bette Ann Moskowitz, who lost her husband of 56 years on the eve of the coronavirus pandemic. When Bette first met her husband, she was taken by his “smoldering looks and banked fires.” He was from Brooklyn; she was from the Bronx. They had little in common and their “prospects were not good,” as Bette put it, but they got married anyway. Bette’s husband died in February 2020, which isolated her just before the rest of the world locked down. On today’s episode, Bette shares the secret to what kept her and her husband together for decades — and how their long love has helped her cope.
[theme music]
Anna Martin: From 'The New York Times,'
I'm Anna Martin.
Miya Lee: And I'm Miya Lee.
Anna Martin: And this is 'Modern Love.'
Miya, you're the editor of Modern Love projects,
and you picked out this episode today
because you really love it.
Miya Lee: I really love this essay mostly because
I really love the essayist, Bette Ann Moskowitz.
So Bette had just lost her husband of 50+ years,
or something like that, on the eve of the pandemic.
But she kind of has this surprising approach
to life and to that really difficult moment.
And it all stems from the love that she shared,
which I think is so striking
that love can be this kind of sustaining force.
Anna Martin: It's written by Bette Ann Moskowitz
and read by Suzanne Toren.
Suzanne Toren: The wall must have moved into the doorway