"Dad, I'm home." He glanced at me through his reading glasses and smiled at me. I tried not to show how exhausted I was. It wasn't work. It was my personal life that was taking its toll on me.
My father was a librarian in the local library while my mother was a school teacher and both of them were active members of the church and community.
One look at my face and he immediately knew something was wrong. "What's wrong sweetie?"
"I talked to Evan today." My parents had strongly unapproved of Evan for me. They disliked him from the instant I introduced them. I didn't blame them. They didn't know the loving, possessive person underneath his cold exterior. Him being an atheist also put marks against him in their books. My parents were devout Christians, I was too but his faith or rather lack of it never mattered to me. I loved him and that was enough for me.
"Oh?" He asked facing me. "How did it go?" My parents wanted me to break ties with Evan and that meant quitting my job and deleting all traces of him from my life.
I narrated the scene at work. I had handed over my resignation to Evan with teary eyes and told him of my decision to quit my job and also about my family disapproving of our relationship. He reacted the way I expected but that didn't mean I was prepared to face him.
"He loves me, he doesn't want to let me go."
"He doesn't love you. He's taking advantage of your innocence. You are too young and innocent to understand him. Men like him have hurt too many innocent girls like you. He doesn't understand love. He only wants to take advantage of you. Once he is done with you, he'll leave you alone in misery. Ask him how many women he has been with. I've known enough about men. Don't be a fool." Dad was angry. But he was wrong about Evan. Evan was not like any of those men. He was a good man.
"He wants to marry me. He won't hurt me, he loves me. I love him." I recalled the events in his office earlier when I spoke to him about quitting my job. He had panicked. He had asked me to marry him so that no one could separate us. I had agreed but could I go against my family? Could I disgrace them?
"Rose, why don't you listen to your dad? You're so blinded by that man, that you cannot see past the image you have of him in your mind. You need to see the real him. He's not the one he portrays himself to be."
Why couldn't my parents understand? Why couldn't they see things from my perspective? They hadn't even met him more than once. How could be they so sure?
I wiped my tears while mentally making a decision. I decision that required no weakness. A decision that needed no regrets.
"Dad, Evan's the only one for me."
That night I wrote my final goodbyes to my finally. I wrote all those things I could never express in words. I apologized for leaving them and causing them pain and shame. At last, I told them I loved them and hoped someday we'd be able to put this past us and reunite.
Evan waited for me in his car. My new life, the love of my life was waiting for me.
"D-Dad," I stuttered, rushing towards him. I halted just a step away, uncertainty washing over me. Would he reject my embrace? David Jacobs was a mighty fine man. Even though he wasn't particularly into fitness, he managed to keep I shape.
"My child," Dad sobbed, swiftly pulling me into his arms. I nestled into his chest, feeling like a small child once more. I felt like I was the schoolgirl whose father had come to pick her up from a kindergarten class. Warm tears soaked his crisp white shirt. I clung to him tightly, fearing he might vanish.
"I'm sorry, Dad, so sorry," I wept.
Quiet sniffles echoed beside me. Breaking free from his embrace, I saw my mother. "Mom," I whispered. She gathered me into her arms, crying with me. Was this a dream? A hallucination? My parents were here, real and tangible, after two years of absence. Her motherly embrace was just what I needed especially in the light of recent turmoil in my life. We looked similar and although she was older version of me, her style was vastly different from mine.
"I missed you. I missed you so much," I confessed my deepest feelings.
"And me?" chimed in my little sister, Celine. She had grown and changed so much. Despite being only two years younger, she was still my baby sister. I enveloped her in a hug too. Her blonde hair, similar to mine, yet much shorter was pulled into a ponytail.
"How are you, Rose?" Mom asked.
"I'm so happy to see you. I... I'm... I'm sorry for everything that happened. I'm sorry for not being the daughter you deserved. I'm sorry for being a disappointment," I confessed, taking my mother's hand. She hugged me again, patting my shoulders comfortingly. No matter how many times I apologized, I knew it could never be enough to take away the pain I caused my family. But I wanted them to know my intention wasn't to hurt them.
"You've never been a disappointment. You can never be a disappointment," Dad reassured.
"How did you get here? I don't understand," I asked, wiping away my tears.
"Your husband convinced us to come here. He came to us one day and told us how much you missed us," Mom explained as she faced dad again, "David you were too harsh with him. Poor guy showed up every afternoon at our door only for your dad to slam the door shut on his face."
Knowing how prideful my husband was I was surprised he'd go out of his way to get insulted by my dad. But he had done that for me. I turned to thank Evan, but he was gone. Perhaps he wanted to give me some time alone with my family. I was so grateful to him in that moment that if he were here, I would probably have kissed him in front of everyone.
"Enough of crying now. Come in," I ushered them inside the house and guided them to the large couch. From the corner of my eye, I saw Celine admiring the house in awe. Wait till she sees the pool!
"How have you been?" Mom asked.
"I've been good. I've been happy. The only thing that was missing was you guys, but now it's complete. My family is complete," I expressed, overwhelmed with joy. I wanted to sing, dance, and squeal like a schoolgirl.
We fell into a comforting silence, not for lack of words, but because there were so many things I wanted to share about their absence.
"Evan really loves you," Mom broke the silence. My heart pounded.
"He cares about you," Dad admitted but I could tell he had his apprehensions "I don't hate him for stealing my daughter but I'm not opening my heart for him yet." I had always hoped he would see Evan's good side, and hearing him acknowledge it filled me with pride and happiness. I knew there was a long road ahead but together we'd get to the end point soon.
*****
Later, I took Celine on a tour of our home, starting with the kitchen and then moving to our bedroom. Upon seeing our bedroom, she was utterly awestruck.
"Good heavens! This room is huge!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, something familiar caught my eye. Then it hit me.
"Wait a minute! Isn't that my top you're wearing?" It was unmistakably mine - my favorite baby blue top adorned with lace details on the shoulders. I had left it behind.
"What! You weren't around, and this gorgeous piece was just lying there, so I borrowed it," she confessed. I knew she had been eyeing it ever since I bought it. It was indeed pretty and looked good on her.
"Don't worry, I haven't touched any of your other clothes. Mom's kept them all intact," she assured me. As I opened the closet door, she gasped audibly, dramatically covering her mouth to stifle a shout.
"Goodness, Rose! Are these all yours? They're stunning! I bet they cost a fortune. Mom wouldn't even spare an extra dime for me to buy a pair of socks," she said, her excitement palpable. I couldn't help but laugh.
"I think I've figured out why you eloped with him," she chuckled.
"I didn't marry him for this. I love him."
"Relax, I'm just teasing," she laughed it off.
"Let's head downstairs before Dad comes looking for us." We descended to find Evan engaged in a conversation with my parents in the living room. Evan flashed me a loving smile, which didn't escape my sister's notice. She nudged me playfully with her elbow, a teasing glint in her eyes. Once we were settled, I sat next to my husband, a permanent grin etched on my face.
"Are you happy, my sweet Rose?" His hand came around me rested on my thigh possessively not caring of my parent's gazes on us. He wasn't a shy guy and didn't waver from displaying his territory.
I dropped my voice and whispered to him, "I'm very happy. I'll show you in a few moments how much." His smile turned dangerous with challenge as if provoking me to make good on my promise. I had every intention of showing him my gratitude in a way I knew my husband appreciated.
. . .
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