May It Be Forever

TESTS

"Come on, let's open the door to your new home," he said with a smile, his eyes sparkling.

I looked at the pile of keys in my hands and furrowed my eyebrows.

"How will I know which key is the one for this door?"

He smiled at me for a moment before responding, "Try them one by one."

"Seriously? I have to try them all?" I asked, feeling a bit frustrated.

He nodded in response.

I sighed and rolled my eyes before analyzing the lock and searching for a key with a similar model. Unfortunately, the first attempt was not successful, and I let out a huff of annoyance as I looked at Guilherme with a puzzled expression.

"Guilherme, you must know which key it is!" I exclaimed.

"Don't look at me like that, I really don't know," he defended himself.

"The second time, I didn't succeed either, but finally, on the third try, it worked," I said with relief.

"Finally!" I exclaimed as we stepped inside. The house was wonderful and huge. I squeezed Guilherme left arm.

"Ouch, what's wrong?" he complained.

"You said that when I got married, I'd get a bigger house, but I think this one will do," I said, smiling.

He pinched my cheek. 

"If that's all you had to say, you didn't need the pinch. And, by the way, I'm not the one saying this. This is a rule that the government has proposed."

I didn't say anything else. I let him show me around the house.

In the living room, the sofa was velvet, there was a flat-screen TV, and the room was well-lit. A narrow corridor led to the super-modern kitchen. I opened the cupboards to make sure they were empty, but they were all stocked with goods. The refrigerator was completely filled with goodies, juices, candy, milk, and more.

"Would you like to see your room, Emi?" he asked.

It felt strange to hear him call me that, but I nodded eagerly. "Sure."

Together we climbed the stairs, side by side, until he opened the third door on the right. My eyes were immediately drawn to the two picture frames on the bedside table: one of my family and the other of me and Jade, both of us smiling and hugging each other.

"How did these pictures get here?" I asked.

"Jade's parents brought them over," he explained.

The urge to cry was overwhelming, and I felt like collapsing. How could life change so drastically from one day to the next? Honestly, I still hadn't fully accepted it all, and part of me still thought it was just a crazy dream. All I wanted was to wake up from it.

Then I remembered what he had said earlier. 

"So, are my parents here?" I asked in a hopeful tone.

"Not exactly, but they are coming," he replied.

I smiled and walked over to the wooden dresser, picking up the two picture frames. I pressed them against my chest, and tears streamed down my cheeks. A giant hand landed on my shoulder.

"Emi, hey. Everything is going to be alright," he reassured me.

As he spoke, I noticed the color of his eyes, his skin, and his hair. His eyes were green, his skin was light, and his hair was the color of gold. I watched him, my face wet with tears.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," I replied.

"Come on," he said, leading me into the living room. "You heard Rosana, lunch is at noon. We can't be late. Fabio hates being late, and you need to make your ID card."