This story is for my female allies who have stayed by my side and showed me what love feels like. This piece counts every supporting woman as a comrade, irrespective of the relationship I shared with them. Here is my mother, my sisters, my sisters-in-law, my teachers, professors, educators, classmates, friends, bosses, colleagues, acquaintances, and many more I feel ill-equipped to define. May they find this piece of my heart and remember that all my “I Love You”s are meant to be forever; I write this to make our bond ever-lasting.  
What’s with the title?!  
Well, it’s taken from a scene in ‘Bold Types’ second season's tenth episode when Kat and Sutton leave Jane in the clinic for macrons right after saying they will never leave her. And Jane’s smile made me relate a lot! It made me relive the trust and freedom my female friendships have made me experience. Trust that they will not leave me. And the freedom that they are not bound to stay by my side. They can run for the macrons while I sit with myself. It reminded me of my mother doing the opposite of what she would tell me. But this nowhere meant that she didn’t practice what she preached. She would ask me to wake up early while she enjoyed her long afternoon naps; she knew I can’t get afternoon naps, and I knew she had no option but to wake up early. However, using sleep, she pushed me to take charge of my life while I saw her enjoying the outcome of doing so.  
Why ‘female allies’?  
I learned the word ally for the first time in my MA classes when I learned how men could be an ally to the feminist movement; I learned that ally means a supporter. Whenever I hear the word ally, I imagine a cisgender heterosexual man. However, women not identifying as feminists or as a believer in the ideology ruptured my understanding of the subject. These women were feminists in their actions, even if they were completely unaware of the feminist potential they held. That’s how these women became female allies to me, in my head. They may not identify with this label, but I count them as a part of the movement because I have received a lot from them. I have benefitted from their physical and emotional labor.  
Most of my sisters and sisters-in-law kept reminding me of the importance of marriage, family, and motherhood. Some of them agreed to my counterarguments, while others were angry. However, irrespective of the differences between our ideologies, these women have fed me nutritious food. They have bought me trendy clothes and taught me the power of feminity. They supported me emotionally and made me believe we can continue to love people despite the distances in bodies, hearts, and minds. They have made it easy for me to be what I am.  
 
Why call them ‘comrades’? 
Because, as mentioned above, they are female allies. They are creating ruptures in the patriarchal structures knowingly and unknowingly, directly and indirectly. Calling them so is not for them; I am unsure how much they care about what I call them, but I call them so as not to miss their contributions to the movement. They aren’t distinct from me; they may not have the resources I enjoy, but they continue to add to the movement from their positions as I do. And probably this makes it important for us to look at each other for what they are – as individuals fighting their battles. Sometimes it becomes crucial not necessarily to expect from people because of our defined social relations. This helps us better understand them as people and love them healthier.  
I had some phenomenal teachers and professors in life who were, at times, different people in and outside the classroom. Initially, the differences affected me; I participated with the crowd to lay huge expectations on educators. However, with a deeper understanding today, I see that educators need to carry different people in them. They are educators in the classroom and students outside. They learn from the outer world and bring the learnings into the classroom. I see this difference as a continuum of history where women laid the foundation for us to walk on. We are building on their work. 
Similarly, I saw my teachers building on their work every day. They distant to come back and not leave. This healthy boundary allowed them to deliver quality lessons to us. They did this in a set-up that doesn’t encourage women to be assertive, where their contributions are ignored and strategically erased.  
This is to all the women I know who have resisted abuse in their own ways and have reclaimed power. Thank you for teaching me a healthier way of living and loving! You know you are seen, heard, and loved!  
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