Chris had fallen in love with Mace, a beautiful lady who was on a wheelchair. He asks her out and they start dating. Then she finds out she is pregnant and his family threaten her. She decides to end their relationship even though Chris doesn’t want to end the relationship. Find part one hereThe Storms We Weathered. A Valentine’s Love Story
The drive back home was silent and tense. Mace drove while her furious friend Molly sat at the back. Being the faithful co-driver on the verge of being dumped, I sat still, looking out the window and wondered why all this was happening to me, to us. Before the universe could respond to my complex thoughts, the heavens opened up and heavy droplets of rain landed on the windshield, signalling a heavy downpour.
Mace cursed and mumbled something under her breath which I guessed had something to do with her not wanting to get wet when transferring from the car to her wheelchair. She was a notoriously fast driver who always made her passengers hit imaginary brakes whenever she was in the mood to put the pedal to the metal. On this day, however, she was doing a reasonable sixty kilometres per hour, almost like she was delaying her destination. Which in this case, was our home, or more accurately; hers.
Making the decision to move in with Mace in her house wasn’t easy. As a man, I understood how it looked and I was sure that I would come off as weak and possibly even be subjected to comments about being “kept”. Having a mid-level salary didn’t help either. But it was the practical thing to do. I couldn’t ask Mace to cohabitate with me in my one-bedroom house on the second floor of a building that was literally in the ghetto. It didn’t make sense even one bit. So I lived in my girlfriend’s house, who was in a wheelchair, which made her pregnant and now she wanted nothing to do with me because my family believed she was cursed.
“Can we please talk about this babe? I understand you are frustrated but we have a child on the way. I want to take care of my family. Let’s not make any rush decisions….”
Molly being the constant pain in my neck she had always aspired to be, didn’t even let me finish. “Look here, Mr promises and no action, whatever needs saying has been said. Your stuff is packed? Get out and…”
“Do you ever mind your business? Shut up for once and let me talk to my girlfriend!! I starting to get tired of your insults!”
I had had enough, my blood was literally boiling with fury because she had been taunting me all day. I understood her to need to protect her friend but she seemed to enjoy pushing my buttons way too much. She didn’t speak a word more from that moment, my outburst had clearly played its purpose. Mace stayed silent, ignoring me and only speaking to curse at other motorists and the torrential rain.
A few minutes later we were parked in the parking lot of the apartment building. The rain had now ceased to a light shower though huge pools of water flooded the tarmac, a testament to how heavily it had rained. Mace finally spoke as Molly hopped outside the car and dashed to the front door.
“I am tired, I don’t want to fight. You know I love you and this is very difficult for me but it is what I want so please respect my wishes. Your bags are packed.” She placed both her hands on her belly and added, “This is your child too so I will let you know when I will be going for my first clinic.”
“I don’t want to argue, but I don’t want to go either….”
“Please…..”
“Okay. But who will help you with your caregiving needs? Let me stay until you find someone.”
“Molly is more than happy to stand in till the agency sends me a nurse. I will be well taken care of.”
And that was that! Molly brought me my bags, I called an Uber to my friend’s place and my relationship was over because my family couldn’t conceive of having a woman who uses a wheelchair for a daughter-in-law.
In the following days, I became a nuisance, calling and texting Mace, using every trick in the book to convince her to have me back. Not in her house, but in her heart. I exhausted her quite quickly and ultimately she blocked me and gave out strict orders that I was not to be allowed inside her apartment building. I knew I was wrong but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted her back.
The weekend after the breakup, I travelled home to confront my parents and hear it from their mouths. I wanted to know why they were subjecting me to this kind of pain. My dad’s eyes turned red when I attempted to question their opinions. He became livid and accused me of being disrespectful. “That woman has placed a spell on you and it shows with the way you are acting right now!”, he said, adding that he would never accept a cripple’s child in his household.
My mother pulled me aside before I left and asked me to consider what my father was saying. She had always been scared of him all her life and couldn’t attempt to go against his will. She didn’t believe in the outrageous things he said but she dared not voice her thoughts. I gave her a big hug and left. Never to return home again.
There was an interesting contrast in my life where my social life was crumbling while the professional side was thriving. I got a scholarship to further my education in Denmark for two years. By this time, Mace had unblocked me and I had started behaving in a civilized manner. My daughter Emma was born on Christmas Eve, a bouncing baby girl. Mace had allowed me to pick the name and even gave Emma my last name.
“She will always have one dad in the end.” She would constantly say.
Though Mace and I were on talking terms, we had avoided the question of getting back together because there had already been so much baggage between us. We had decided to take care of Emma the best way we could and that became the basis of our relationship.
I had tried dating in Denmark but the culture there was too different from home. I could never truly connect with the women there, mostly because my heart still belonged to Mace and Emma. We had scheduled video call meetings throughout the week and I sent upkeep for Emma without fail even though Mace insisted she was okay by herself.
I was offered a managerial job at a real estate agency in Copenhagen before I even graduated. It was a well-paying job that came with housing and a car. It was a dream job that I jumped on without hesitation.
During Emma’s first birthday, I travelled back home and surprised her and her mum. It was the first time I was seeing Emma. My precious beautiful daughter had been raised well by her strong and capable mother. Emotions ran high that day, one thing left to another and I ended up in Mace’s bed after tucking in my little one.
“Marry me”, I proposed as we lay motionless on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She sat up, immediately, as if she had just been electrocuted. Her hair was a mess from all the turning, pulling and pushing we’d been doing all night. “You short men are crazy, generous lovers yes, but crazy crazy people!” She exclaimed. She had not changed one bit. I knew that was a yes.
In the following days, we got married in the eyes of the law, signed papers made applications for her and Emma’s visa and embarked on a spirited love affair that lasted the entirety of my brief visit. On my last day, I surprised her with a new wheelchair. A ridiculously priced chair that I knew she had always wanted. It was light, and sleek and moved her to tears. I made sure Molly knew about all the things that we were doing. Turns out she liked me more when I had my MasterCard.
I travelled back to Denmark and went back to work. The wait began. Waiting for the visas to be processed so that I would have my family with me. It was long and tedious. Longer than I had anticipated. During that time I moved into an accessible house, identified schools where Emma would attend and bought Mace an accessible car.
On Valentine’s Day the following year, my wife and child arrived home. All the stars had finally aligned.
Its funny to think that we had to relocate to a new land for us to find our way back to each other permanently. My choice had been made years prior. We weathered so many storms, some sank us, hurt us and broke us. We suffered most at the hands of those we thought were most dear to us. This I think, is very telling about who we should give power to and who we ought to love from a distance. If we fight hard enough, love will prevail, and I have not known a better feeling than that of Love; to be loved, for who you are, as you are.
Check out
Was He Going To Lose His Girlfriend Because Of A Cheap Valentine’s Publicity Stunt?
The Singlehood Series: Being A Young Widow Made Me Not Want Long-Term Relationships
Reunion: Rekindling An Old Love On Valentine’s Day
A Hundred Chocolates Saved Their Relationship On Valentine’s Day
My First Love Died But I Cant Let Go Of Our Valentine’s Day Tradition
Sorry, Mum, That Bra Is My Girlfriend Valentine’s Day Gift!
Getting A Date While Having A Disability Has Not Been Easy & I Hope One Day I Will Find True Love
