“You threw away your education for love! We sent you to study, not to get married! As if we needed a country girl in our family,” fumed his father. Desperate to break up their son’s passionate romance, the family resorted to separation. At his fathers insistence, Victor enlisted in the army.
Victoria was tidying up the house. She had repapered the walls, changed the curtains, and was now sorting through the clutter in the attic. Order soothed her; it brought peace to her heart.
In the farthest corner, she found a box of Victors letters. How long had it been since she last opened it? Forgotten in her cleaning frenzy, she sat down and read one letter, then another, then another
Vicky and Victor had met at Imperial College London. Victor was a city boy, while Vicky had moved from a small village in Yorkshire.
She had captivated him with her striking lookslong black hair, enchanting eyes, and a slender figure.
Victor and Vicky began dating. For quiet, shy Vicky, boisterous Victor was like a whirlwind. Every day, he dreamed up something new to win her affection. He left flowers outside her dorm room, climbed through her window in the middle of the night just to whisper goodnighther room was on the ground floor.
Loud student parties, long walks, stolen kissestheir first year flew by in a blur. They were inseparable.
But Victor neglected his studies. Hed never been keen on academics, and now there was love! He was expelled from university. Victor wasnt upset.
“Ill find work, re-enroll part-time later. At least I can marry you, my joy,” he explained to Victoria.
He got a job at a factory and told his parents he wanted to wed. They knew Vicky slightlyshe had visited a few times.
He expected reluctance. His parents had always hoped hed marry their friends daughter, Zoe. But neither Victor nor Zoe had any interest in fulfilling that wish.
Victor believed he could make them understand, that theyd see how much he loved Vicky. Surely theyd realize he couldnt live without her!
But they didnt. Their reaction was harsh.
“You threw away your education for love! We sent you to study, not to get married! As if we needed a country girl in our family,” his father roared.
To end their sons infatuation, they sent him away. At his fathers urging, Victor enlisted.
Vicky ached without him. The only comfort was his letterstender, passionate, full of longing.
Then, suddenly, they stopped. A month, two, half a yearnot a word. Vicky was beside herself.
“It happens. Feelings fade when you’re apart. It wasnt love, just infatuation,” soothed their mutual friend, Alex.
Alex had secretly written to Victor, confessing his love for Vicky and claiming she was now with him. He begged Victor not to write her anymore, as they were planning to marry.
Vicky resigned herself, buried herself in studies, and leaned on friends. Alex was always there, nursing a long-held crush. His scheming had given him a chance.
His care and devotion seemed genuine.
“At least let Alex be happy,” she thought, and accepted his proposal.
She meant to throw Victors letters away but couldnt. Instead, she boxed them up and tucked them out of sight.
Vicky moved on.
Victors parents wasted no time informing him that Vicky had married Alex.
Years passed.
Decades. Vicky and Victor lived in the same city but led parallel lives that never crossed.
Rumours reached VickyVictor had married. Not Zoe, but someone else. They had a son.
Yet her own life, steady and calm, brought no joy. She and Alex had two daughters. Work and motherhood became her purpose. There was no time for heartache.
They trudged on, joylessly, forgetting life could be bright and full.
Thirty-five years later, their marriage crumbled. Try as they might, love had never truly blossomed. Alex confessed hed orchestrated her breakup with Victor. Hed found someone else. Their grown daughters had their own families. Nothing tied them together anymore.
Victor, too, was alone, his family dissolved.
Vicky read the last letter. She cried and smiled at once. Then, suddenly, she needed to knowwhere was Victor now? How had his life turned out? Just to see him, to talk.
She decided to write to his old address. Maybe he still lived thereor perhaps relatives could pass it on. Victoria had always been decisive. She penned the letter at once, suggesting they meet at the café across from her house. Without hesitation, she dropped it into the nearest postbox.
The next day, she scolded herself: “Why am I so foolish?”
Victor, returning home, checked his mail. A letter? A rarity these days. The name on the envelope made his heart stop. He read it, and time rewound.
At the appointed hour, he entered the café, pulse racing. The room was empty save for one woman at a table.
“Vicky,” he whispered.
She turned, meeting his eyes.
That gazehed remembered it all these years. It was her. His Vicky. They talked, cried, laughed.
Hand in hand, they left the café, determined never to part again.
P.S.
Nearly five years have passed since that reunion. Victoria and Victor live in perfect harmony, cherishing each day as a gift.
True love never truly fades. Of that, they are now certain.
