Of Love and Other Tragedies

1 | letters from him + her

Him

Dear you,
When I first met you, I knew that the future would be great. We could be ourselves in confidence and have no worries away from the prying eyes of others. At that moment, it didn't matter that there was someone else, you didn't love him anyways. But then he announced that you and him were engaged to be married and I knew that something would have to be done.

I wish to be neither away from you nor you with him, but he is my family, and I should not betray family. Marriages that are arranged should not be allowed in certain circumstances, especially when money is involved. I understand that your family has been less fortunate in their endeavors, and mine is wealthy, but what about love? Does it not matter?

It's a wonder why love is often overlooked by society today as just another feeling, yet it is so much more. Love is even loathed by some, the emotion becoming distant and forgotten and foreign. Why hate love when we are made of it? We are all made of the love our ancestors felt to further create beings in the form of children, their signa of love molding into our lives and running through our veins.

Our longing to be away from this place grows with every passing day, with every beautiful sunrise we cannot share together. You say that, in some way, you love him, but I know that you have doubts that outweigh those feelings. So, in these final moments of the wedding preparations, I hereby make a proposal to your hand in being mine, for I also know that you are not yet ready to be married. And I respect that.

Will you accept?

Sincerely,
Me

P.S. I love you

Her

Dear you,
I, too, was happy with you in the beginning, when we could easily sneak away to our own space. However, knowing that I am engaged to be married, the townspeople watch us too closely. With this unwanted union, I wish we could steal into the night, but I am weary. Weary with the obvious elephant in the room.

I understand that, with my young age of twenty-two, that I am after all 'getting too old' for most of the men in our small community. However, your family took pity on mine and offered his hand in marriage, which I had to accept, due to the circumstances. With you, though... I believe us to be an act of love.

It puzzles me that most believe young love is never true love, but it can be if both parties feel in their hearts that it is. I know that my family is struggling, and yours has wealth, but I do not want to marry him, I wish to be with you. With you, I feel whole, I feel at ease, I feel... completely and utterly in love. When I first laid my eyes on you, I knew that everything would eventually be okay, that happiness would shine it's light on us.

While we are apart, I feel that the time for our reunion will soon come and pass if we don't act now. I believe it in my heart that love will make a way for us. That love, along with time and the death of the old time beliefs of how love should be, will allow us to come together, to show everyone the truth.

I agree with your beliefs on how love is pushed aside by many, as we seem to be the only vessel of its teachings, of its understanding. My doubts that you address of me loving him is minor to the major situation, so I instead push them away to accept your proposal of me being yours to have and love.

I accept.

Sincerely,
Me

P.S. I love you more