“Are you joking?” exclaimed Nathan, taken aback. “How can this be? You’re only twenty-one! Why did you never mention this before?”
Alice leaned close to her husband, gazing into his eyes with devotion.
“I was scared you’d fall out of love with me and call off the wedding…”
“And now? What are you hoping for now?!”
***
They met by chance. Alice had just overloaded her shopping bags at the supermarket, staggering out into the slippery icy street. She might have fallen if strong hands hadn’t caught her mid-air.
“Careful,” she heard a soothing male voice beside her. “Hold on to me…”
Regaining her footing, Alice looked up at her rescuer.
“Thank you so much…”
“Why did you take on so much, especially in this weather?” the stranger smiled.
“My parents are visiting,” Alice answered simply. “They want to see how I’m doing here in the city. So…”
“I see. Do you have far to go? I can give you a lift.”
“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to bother you. You’ve already been such a help. I can manage, my house is just nearby.”
Alice took careful steps in the pointed direction, and the man went on his way.
All day, he found it impossible to concentrate on work; the image of the lovely stranger kept resurfacing in his mind. In his daydreams, that’s what he called her.
“What a delightful creature,” he thought. “An open gaze, scarcely any makeup, not even lipstick, and that blush… so gentle, barely there… and her voice… like a brook… No, I must find her. She mentioned she lives close by…”
Nathan wasn’t known for charming women; rather the opposite, he was cautious around them, always expecting a trap.
This was due to a heartbreak in his first love, which ended in betrayal. From fifth grade, Nathan loved a classmate who, after seeing him off to the army and promising to wait, married a businessman’s son six months later.
When Nathan returned, unabashedly, she said:
“Nathan, don’t be so upset. If it comforts you, know this: I still love you. But loving and marrying are different things. What can you offer me? A life in a rented flat or, worse – in a dormitory? With empty pockets? No, I want to live properly. I hope you understand…”
Nathan understood all too well. He suffered for a long time, even took to drinking. But then he pulled himself together, got a job, and enrolled in university.
And now here he was, at thirty, a lonely but reasonably successful man, dreaming of a girl he had only seen once, in passing.
All because his heart felt warm. He had waited years for this moment.
For two weeks, Nathan haunted that same supermarket, hoping to see the beautiful stranger. She finally appeared.
After work, Alice dropped by to pick up something for dinner and was bewildered when a man practically threw himself at her, exclaiming:
“At last, I’ve found you!”
Recognizing her rescuer, she smiled.
“Why were you looking for me?”
“We forgot to introduce ourselves! I’m Nathan, and you are?”
“I’m Alice,” she said, gazing curiously at the flustered man. “And now what, Nathan?”
“Well? Next is a lovely dinner at a restaurant! Will you join me?”
“I’m not sure, it’s so sudden…”
“Please, Alice! There’s so much I need to tell you…”
He shared everything about himself: his first love, years of solitude, how he believed meeting her was a gift from fate…
Alice listened intently… This man, so tender and a bit naïve, was more appealing by the minute.
They began seeing each other, practically daily. The more they met, the stronger their bond grew. They enjoyed being together, despite Alice’s reserved demeanor, for she wouldn’t let Nathan get too close.
At first, Nathan was surprised by this, then utterly charmed. He was convinced that Alice was meant for him and had been waiting just for him.
He introduced Alice to his mother, and Alice took Nathan to meet her parents in the countryside.
Nathan was enchanted with the simple way of life and the straightforward relationships, and their hospitality.
There, in her parents’ presence, Nathan proposed to Alice…
The wedding was intimate, as Alice preferred. She didn’t want a big celebration but dreamed of a real honeymoon. Nathan agreed and booked a trip. They were set to leave a month after the wedding.
For two weeks, the newlyweds shared their lives together. Nathan couldn’t believe his fortune, rushing home from work each day with joy.
One lovely evening, Nathan noticed something troubling Alice.
“What’s on your mind, my love?” he asked with concern. “Are you alright?”
“We need to talk,” Alice replied quietly.
“I’m all ears, go ahead.”
“I’m unsure how you’ll react to this,” Alice began hesitantly.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take it well,” Nathan said, trying to soothe his visibly anxious wife. “No matter what, you know how much I love you…”
“I know I should’ve told you sooner… I just couldn’t…”
“Alice, please don’t drag this out,” Nathan was growing uneasy. “Have you fallen out of love with me?”
“No, not at all. Only… Forgive me… I have children… Two of them…”
“What? You’re joking!” Nathan was astonished. “How is that possible?”
“I’m not joking…”
“But you’re only twenty-one! When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”
Alice settled close to him, searching for trust in his eyes.
“I was scared you’d stop loving me and cancel the wedding…”
“And now? What’s your plan now?!”
“I’m not sure. I hope you can understand and forgive me…”
“Forgive?! Me?!” Nathan was awash with disbelief.
“You see, like you, I too have a sad story. We loved each other deeply. When I found out I was pregnant, he left me, afraid. I was only seventeen. Once my son was born, he came back asking for forgiveness. I forgave him. We lived together. A year later, my daughter was born. But while I was pregnant, he found someone else. Abandoned me with two children.”
“And where are your children now? I visited your village… Your parents said nothing. This was kept hidden…”
“The kids live with relatives. They don’t have their own children, so they offered to take care of them for now.”
“And your parents? Don’t they want their grandchildren?”
“They visit regularly but refuse to take them in. They say they can’t manage.”
“I see. Some family, huh…”
“Please don’t say that. I never wanted it to turn out like this. Remember, I didn’t impose myself on you. You found me…”
“So you did play the innocence card well… I actually believed in your modesty…”
“I was just afraid of getting too attached. I feared it might not work out between us…”
“Did it work out?”
“Of course! We love each other!”
“And you say this after such enormous deceit? You could have told me all of this a hundred times before we married! But no! You tell me now, after we’re wed!”
“What’s changed? It was the only secret I had. Now you’re my husband, I don’t want to deceive you anymore. Whether you accept what I’ve said depends on your love.”
“So, if I agree to raise your kids, I love you. If I refuse, then I don’t?”
“If you refuse, they’ll stay with my relatives. That’s all. If you want, I won’t even meet them.”
“In other words, you’re prepared to give up your own children for me?”
“I am.”
“But that’s monstrous! Don’t you realize?!”
“I just love you so very much…”
Nathan couldn’t bear it anymore. Grabbing his coat, he dashed out of the apartment.
He wandered the streets for hours, trying to clear his head.
Eventually, he decided to visit his mother. He needed someone to talk to.
“I don’t know what to say, my dear,” his mother pondered after hearing his story. “This is something only you can decide.”
“What decision, Mom? I feel doomed either way: if I agree, I’ll be unhappy, if I refuse, I’ll deprive those kids of their mother, and they’ll all be miserable.”
“Then don’t rush. Think it over. Though… I can’t imagine living with someone who would do such a thing…”
“I can’t either…”
“Perhaps it’s best to separate?”
“I love her, Mom…”
“Then I don’t know…”
Nathan stayed with his wife. He offered to bring the children home, but Alice declined.
“I don’t want to burden you,” she said calmly. “Let them stay with the relatives, and we can visit.”
“In what capacity?” Nathan asked wearily. “They probably call your aunt ‘mom’ by now.”
“And why not? They’re well there; I’m sure of it. And that’s what counts.”
“Suit yourself,” Nathan muttered, avoiding the subject thereafter.
They visited the children a few times. Watching his wife with them, Nathan wondered.
“What if we have our own child? What if something happens to me? Would she send our child there too?”
A year later, Nathan filed for divorce.
He couldn’t live like that.
Besides, the love had slowly faded away…
