“You are my queen, I mean it darling,” Ryan whispered into my ear.

I found out I had lost two teeth, but Ryan did not care. Even if I lost an eye or arm or leg, he would have still loved me. Our love was going to last until death separated us. It was indeed true love. I knew that I could buy some fake teeth, but imagine that, even after I had lost a part of me, Ryan still called me his queen.

That was music to my ears. I was drowning in love. After being discharged from hospital, Ryan spoiled me with gifts and, sometimes he even brought me fruits and Hawaiian pizza, which was my favourite. My parents did not contest, and they approved of him. But, it was their actions that proved it, not their words. I saw the shame on their face when they realised that they had been trying to break us apart. It was written all over their faces.

“I don’t like that boy,” my father muttered in our native language. He still did not want him.

“Baba, he saved our only daughter’s life. We will get through this,” my mother responded, also speaking in our native language.

While my parents were speaking, they thought I would not hear them, but I pretended everything was okay. I did not want trouble. The counsellor had told me to pretend like I did not hear them, and that one day, they would eventually accept Ryan. After everything that had happened to me, I wanted to be happy. The doctor suggested I see a counsellor because he said I had trauma. I did not need one, though. I just needed Ryan. He made my life whole, and he made me the happiest woman alive. I even felt like he loved me more than before.

It was obvious that my parents did not want him to hear. They spoke in my native language, but I kept my cool. We were no longer afraid of them, and we displayed our relationship openly. Ryan would spend an hour or more in our lounge, but my parents shifted to the kitchen whenever he would arrive. They did it either to give us privacy, or they did not want to watch us because it hurt them deeply.

“I’m leaving,” Ryan said, then he kissed my forehead. He helped me to stand up, then he embraced me tightly in his arms.

“Mama, Ryan is leaving,” I said loudly.

“Travel safely son, greet your parents,” my mother said loudly from the kitchen. Her voice echoed in the room, and I sensed that she did not mean a thing she was saying.

“Goodbye, be safe,” my father said loudly from the kitchen. His voice sounded like he was pretending, I knew him.

“Thank you ma and pa,” Ryan responded, sounding excited, then he left.

After Ryan left, I looked through the door and watched him jump into his car and drive off. He blew me a kiss as I waved my hands through the window. I did not like the way the car drove off, though. It was too fast. My stomach clutched tightly, as I wondered why. I had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. But where and to who? My thoughts were sitting heavy on me, and I hoped it was not bad. The clutching did not stop, and I became more worried. I wanted to look through the window, but my health was bad.

**********

“He had an accident?” my mother asked, sounding puzzled.

I was in bed reading my notes, and when I heard my mother speak, I knew she was talking about Ryan. I was connected to Ryan, and when he was absent, I could feel his life, even if he was far away. I did not know how, but maybe that was what they said love is! I assumed my mother was talking on the phone when I heard her, so I tried jumping up from the bed, but I fell with a loud thud on floor. I did not hear more of what she was saying, so I screamed and tried to sit up.

“What happened?” my father asked after walking in. He helped me to sit up on the bed, and I groaned.

“It’s Ryan, isn’t it?” I asked curiously.

“Ryan is okay,” my father responded, rubbing my shoulder softly.

Even as my father’s spoke, I felt my stomach clutching, and I knew that something must have happened to Ryan. While I was looking at him, my mother came into the room in a flash, as if she was being chased. When we both stared at her, she looked worried and I knew it. Ryan had been in an accident.

“Is he okay?” I asked anxiously.

Instead of responding, my mother shook her head and tried to comfort me, but I pushed her away.

“What happened?” my father asked.

“He’s in ICU,” my mother responded, and I burst into a loud cry. My father was teary. I saw a glimpse of it, then he avoided eye contacts.

“I want to see him …” I said. When I tried standing up, I fell on the wall that was balancing me.

“Calm down … We’ll take you there tomorrow,” my mother said. She was speaking gently, but my father was declining, and I know it. “Rest and sleep,” she continued, then she kissed my forehead. “We’ll pray for him and he will be fine”

I did not know when my father disappeared, I just knew that he got angry whenever he talked about Ryan. How I wished he would accept him. Once my father was gone, I stared at the ceiling, gathering my thoughts, then I realised that it had been four hours since Ryan had been at my house. Since he left my home, I felt my heart beating quickly. I knew that something bad was going to happen, but a chilly air cooled the gloomy thoughts and speculations in my head.

**********

“Thank you for agreeing to come with us,” Ryan’s mother said, and she sounded sincere.

Stars were spread across the horizon, even though it was before midday, and I watched them through the window as we drove off in their Range Rover. I had thoughts of what could possibly happen because they hated me.

Ryan’s parents had come to pick me up. They had had a good and peaceful conservation with my parents, but I did not hear what they were talking about. I only saw the quietness and giggles when I walked to the lounge. I wanted to see Ryan, so I did not object to their request.

When we got to the hospital, we found Ryan laying on the bed with tubes running from his mouth and nose. My heart ached when the machine kept beeping, and his parents shook their heads sympathetically as they looked at him. His mother looked straight into my eyes and smiled tenderly.

“I never want to see my son like this, but I will gradually learn to love the woman who loves him. I accept … I’m sorry for everything we did to you,” Ryan’s mother said, wrapping her arms around me.

I giggled when she held me, and my heart wanted to explode in joy. Finally … Finally … After a long and bumpy journey of rejection, we had finally come to a wonderful destination. A love story will always have a happy ending. Both our parents accept us! No matter what colour we are, we are still humans who fell in love.

Do you know I got married to him?

***

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