Ivon, John & Angelina
Ivon (47) - John’s Girlfriend
John (31)
Angelina (33) - John’s Ex-Girlfriend
From Russia with Love
Like the meet-cute in a romantic comedy John and Angelina were sarcastic rivals when they first met in an ESL class in New York City in 2010. Both off-the plane from Moscow, they left their families and friends behind for a bright future in New York City. He was the class-clown and aggressively asked her on dates and she was the cool girl who played hard to get. He finally won her over when they serendipitously ran into each other at a coffee shop…and the rest is history.
John and Angelina dated for eight years. They shared so many firsts and life-defining moments as part of the immigrant experience coming to the United States. They travelled together, they learned English together, they built careers together, they supported one another as they went to college and earned Master’s degree together. Angelina was a sought-after DJ for many years and they travelled the world together. However, that jet-setting life took its toll. John wanted to settle down and have a traditional marriage and start a family. At the time, Angelina wasn’t ready for that type of commitment. The two grew apart and called it quits romantically, but their connection never faded.
Today, they live only five blocks from one another and see each other every couple days and speak together every day. John is even investing in a line of jeans that Angelina is working on. They liken their relationships to siblings. They will confide in one another when it comes to their thoughts and their feelings, discussing deep issues and romantic relationships. As a macho “guy’s guy,” Angelina is the only person that John can lay off the pretense and be emotionally vulnerable with. But like siblings, they bicker like cats and dogs. Both are alphas and always need to be right. John is extremely opinionated and extremely principled. He goes on tangents about life and how to live life to its fullest. Angelina, bites her tongue, smiles and nods. The friendship was ultimately solidified when John had emergency open heart surgery at 28 years old. Angelina was in California at the time and flew to NYC to be near him. They were not dating at the time. She was there for him during the most difficult, terrifying, vulnerable and defining moment of his life. After that experience, how could John view her as anything except for, “chosen family?”
John was first enchanted by Ivon at a fashion show. The sexy and talented Latina, Ivon, designs couture dresses for competitive ballroom and Salsa dancing. She was won over by John’s charm (yes he can be very charming and persuasive when he wants to be) and the couple has been dating for approximately two years. They love one another and share a happy relationship. The only issue? Angelina. Ivon cannot comes to terms with the fact that John and Angelina are best-friends. When Angelina waltzs in with a small waist, an ample bust and Eastern European cheek bones, how can she compete? She’s stunning. What red-blooded, straight man wouldn’t be smitten with her? Ivon feels that their relationship is flirtatious and inappropriate. She isn’t accustomed to her boyfriend’s being friends with their exes. Especially not exes that look like her!
The fact that Ivon is over ten years older than Angelina triggers insecurities about her age and her look. John has to beg and plead for Ivon to see her as she truly is: an incredibly beautiful and sexy woman. If we’re all being real: who would have guessed that Ivon is actually 47? With beautiful skin and a melt-your-heart smile Ivon is super stunning too!
On a deeper level, Angelina triggers insecurities that are more difficult to talk about. Ivon knows that John wants to start a family and have children of his own. She wants that too. She wants the full-picture with him. A marriage, a house and a happy family. But at 47 years old what are the realistic chances that she can conceive a healthy child safely? It’s hard for her not to see a vision of John returning to his, “go-to” of Angelina to start a family with. After all, Angelina and John have such an undeniable chemistry, they have similar backgrounds, culture and history; it seems like a no-brainer that they should end up together. It’s a difficult argument for John to win that he isn’t going to leave her for Angelina. It’s even more difficult for him to be asked to choose between the two women. Ivon wants him to cut it off with Angelina but he isn’t willing to do that.
Angelina and John have no other family in the United States as all of their other relatives live in Russia. They are each other’s family. Their relationship transcends sex and gender; what they have is unconditional, platonic love. It’s a concept that isn’t easily understood or accepted. It only begs the question: Will John and Ivon’s romantic relationship withstand the non-negotiable nature of John and Angelina’s friendship? As Ivon’s biological clock continues to tick, they are either going to have to all get along, or something will inevitably have to give.