“Are you joking?” exclaimed Nick, astonished. “How can that be? You’re only twenty-one! Why didn’t you mention this before?”
Alice leaned in towards her husband, gazing into his eyes with devotion.
“I was afraid you’d stop loving me and wouldn’t want to marry me anymore.”
“And now? What do you expect now?”
***
Their meeting was purely accidental. Alice had done a hefty shop at Tesco and was walking outside with two large bags when she encountered ice on the steps. She would have certainly fallen if not for someone’s strong arms catching her mid-air.
“Watch yourself,” she heard a smooth male voice next to her. “Hold on to me…”
Feeling steady on her feet again, Alice looked up at her rescuer.
“Thank you so much…”
“Why did you load yourself up like that?” the stranger asked with a smile. “Especially in this weather?”
“I’m expecting my parents for a visit,” Alice replied simply. “They’re coming to check how I’m doing in the city. So I…”
“I see. Do you have far to go? I could give you a lift?”
“Oh, no need. It’d be too much trouble. You’ve already helped me. I’ll manage on my own. My house is just over there.”
Carefully, Alice started to walk in the direction she pointed. The man continued on his way…
For the rest of the day, he found it impossible to concentrate at work. Memories of the lovely stranger kept invading his thoughts. That was how he referred to her in his mind.
“What an endearing person,” he mused. “Such an open expression, minimal makeup, not even lipstick. And that blush… so delicate, barely there… and her voice… like a little brook… No, I have to find her. She said she lives nearby…”
Nick was not the type to flatter women. Quite the opposite, he was wary and always expected the worst.
His skepticism stemmed from a painful first love, marked by betrayal. Nick had been smitten with a classmate since primary school. She had promised to wait for him when he joined the army, but six months later she married a businessman’s son.
When Nick returned, she showed no embarrassment as she said, “Oh, Nick, don’t be upset. If it’s any comfort, know that I still love you. But love and marriage are two different things. What could you offer me? A life in a rented flat or, better yet, in a dormitory? An empty wallet all the time? No, I want to live well. I hope you understand.”
Nick understood all too well. He suffered for a long time, even started drinking. But he pulled his life together, found a job, and enrolled in university evening classes.
Now thirty, single, and fairly successful, he dreamt about the girl he had seen only briefly. Yet somehow, the thought of her warmed his heart. After years of waiting, he felt a pang of emotion, but he didn’t even know her name…
For two weeks, Nick loitered around the Tesco store hoping the beautiful stranger would return. One evening, as Alice was picking up something for dinner, she was startled when a man abruptly approached her with the words:
“At last, I’ve found you!”
Recognizing her lifesaver, she smiled. “And why were you looking for me?”
“We didn’t properly introduce ourselves! I’m Nick, and you?”
“My name is Alice,” she said with curiosity, observing the flustered man. “And what now, Nick?”
“Now? Well, now we’re going out for a wonderful dinner! What do you say?”
“I’m not sure, it’s so unexpected…”
“Please, Alice,” he pleaded, “there’s a lot I need to tell you…”
He shared everything about himself: his first love, his years of loneliness, and how grateful he was to have met her, considering it a stroke of fate.
Alice listened intently. This man, so earnest and a bit naïve, was becoming more endearing by the minute…
They began seeing each other almost daily, growing more attached with each meeting. They enjoyed each other’s company despite Alice being rather reserved, deliberately keeping Nick at arm’s length.
Initially, her reticence puzzled him, but it quickly became a source of fascination. He was convinced Alice was destined for him alone!
He introduced Alice to his mother, and Alice took Nick to meet her parents in the countryside.
Nick was charmed by the simple lifestyle and straightforward relationships. Her parents were wonderfully welcoming.
There, in the presence of her family, Nick proposed to Alice…
The wedding ceremony was intimate, as Alice preferred. She didn’t want a grand event but dreamed instead of a proper honeymoon. Nick agreed. He booked a trip for a month after their wedding.
For two weeks now, they had been living together. Nick couldn’t believe his luck, rushing home from work each day as if on wings…
One of those lovely evenings, Nick noticed Alice seemed troubled.
“What’s wrong, my love?” he asked tenderly. “Are you okay? Is everything alright?”
“We need to talk,” his young wife replied quietly.
“Of course, I’m all ears.”
“I’m not sure how you’ll take this,” Alice hesitated, struggling to find the right words.
“I’ll take it in stride,” Nick reassured her, sensing her anxiety and trying to calm her. “No matter what it is. You know how much I love you…”
“I realize I should have told you earlier… But I couldn’t…”
“Please, Alice, tell me,” Nick was starting to tense up. “Do you not love me anymore?”
“No, of course not. But… Forgive me… I have children… Two, actually…”
“What? Are you kidding?” Nick was shocked. “How is that possible?”
“I’m not joking…”
“But you’re only twenty-one! How did this happen, and why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
Alice hugged her husband, looking into his eyes with sincerity.
“I was afraid you’d stop loving me and wouldn’t want to marry me…”
“And now? What do you expect now?”
“I don’t know. I hope you’ll understand and forgive me…”
“Forgive?! Me?!” Nick couldn’t believe what he had heard.
“You see, like you, I also had a sad episode in my life. We were very much in love… When he found out I was pregnant, he left. He got scared. I was only seventeen then. After my son was born, he changed his mind and asked for forgiveness. I forgave him. We lived together. A year later, our daughter was born. But while I was pregnant, he started seeing someone else. When Aria was just six months old, he left me again, this time with two children.”
“And where are your children now? This is unbelievable… I visited your village… Your parents didn’t say a word. They hid this from me too…”
“The kids are staying with relatives. They don’t have children of their own, so they offered to look after them.”
“And your parents? Didn’t they want their grandchildren?”
“They visit them regularly, but refused to take them in, saying they can’t handle it.”
“I see. Quite the family…”
“Why say that? I never intended for things to turn out like this. Remember, I didn’t impose myself on you. You were the one who sought me out…”
“Indeed… And you played the part of innocence so convincingly… I truly believed in your virtue…”
“I was just afraid of getting too attached to you. I thought, what if it doesn’t work out…”
“And did it work out?”
“Of course! We love each other!”
“And you can say that after such a huge lie? You had countless opportunities to tell me before the wedding! Yet now, you bring it up, only after we’re married!”
“What’s changed? This was the only thing I withheld. Now, you’re my husband, and I don’t want to deceive you anymore. Whether you can embrace what I’ve shared depends on your love.”
“So, if I agree to raise your children, then I love you. But if I refuse, then I don’t?”
“If you refuse, they will stay with my relatives. That’s all. I won’t even meet with them if you don’t want me to.”
“In other words, you’re willing to give up your own children for me?”
“I am.”
“But that’s monstrous! Can’t you see that?”
“It’s just that I love you so much…”
Nick couldn’t hear anymore. He grabbed his coat and fled the apartment.
He walked the streets for a long time, trying not to think at all, striving to find some calm.
Eventually, he decided to visit his mother. He needed someone to talk to…
“I don’t know what to say, son,” his mother said after listening thoughtfully. “This is something only you can decide.”
“What’s there to decide, Mum? Regardless of what I choose, if I agree, I’ll be miserable, and if I refuse, I’ll deprive the kids of their mother and make them all miserable.”
“Then don’t rush into anything. Give it some thought. Although… I can’t imagine living with someone capable of this…”
“Me neither…”
“So maybe it’s better if you divorce her?”
“I love her, Mum…”
“Then I just don’t know…”
Nick chose to stay with Alice. He suggested that they bring the children to live with them, but Alice refused.
“I don’t want to burden you with such a load,” she said calmly. “Let them stay with my relatives. We’ll visit them.”
“In what capacity?” Nick asked wearily. “They probably already call your aunt ‘mum’.”
“And so be it. They’re happy there, I’m sure. And that’s the most important thing.”
“Suit yourself,” Nick replied, and the topic wasn’t mentioned again.
They visited the children a few times. Watching his wife interact with them, Nick couldn’t help but wonder:
“What will happen when we have a child? What if something happens to me? Will she take our child there too?”
A year later, Nick filed for divorce…
He couldn’t continue living that way…
Love seemed to have evaporated…
