Epilogue by Fathiah Zarafi


Snow cascaded down from the sky, blanketing the earth with frozen white. I absentmindedly traced my fingers on the icy glass of my window, feeling the crisp surface beneath my skin. A twinkle caught my eyes and I shifted my gaze to the band wrapped around my ring finger. Even after six months of being engaged, the idea of being someone's fiancé and future wife still brought a mixture of sensations in me. I was terrified of this new commitment yet at the same time, I was happy to be spending the rest of my life with the man that I adore.

I still remembered the day Chayton proposed to me and it will forever be imprinted in my memories. I was at school as any ordinary day, teaching my class of seventh graders Advanced English. The kids were busy jotting my notes on the board when a few boys began snickering at the back. I swiveled around to give them a stern glare before going back to the notes.

"Hey, Miss Fischer," Andrew, the most mischievous boy in the class spoke, "will you marry me?"

"No, Andrew, I will not marry you," I sighed without glancing back at him. Andrew was known to cause trouble in the school and like any other teacher, I thought he was just fooling around again.

"Well, will you marry Mr. Spears instead?" he continued. I turned around, a book still held in my hands, and frowned at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Will you marry me?"

A startled shriek flew out of my mouth and the book I was holding dropped on my lap. There, on the open door of my classroom, was Chayton kneeling on one knee with a ring on his open palm. There were no guesses about what happened next. The whole classroom broke into a loud cheer, some even cat-calling when I kissed him hard to answer his question. Later that night, the silly man admitted that he was actually terrified I was going to say no.

My love for Chayton couldn't get any stronger, after all the ups and downs we had been through together. He was my light when the clouds were gray. My heart swelled with devotion when I recalled Chayton bringing me out of the depression I was in. It was when I was still undergoing physiotherapy at the hospital. The treatment was brutal and draining, especially to my mental state. The doctors were training me to adapt to my current condition but it took months of therapy for me to be able to transport myself from the wheelchair to my bed and even controlling the wheelchair itself.

It was difficult for me to transact from a normal teenager to a disabled person. My meltdown was one of the things that made me cringe every time it pops up. I had gotten home from a physiotherapy session, angry and exhausted. Chayton tried to help me into bed but I struggled and refused him. From all of the squirming, I ended up collapsed on the floor when I slipped off my chair. Chayton and James rushed over me but I swatted their hands away and shouted at them to leave me alone. All the anger eventually turned into tears and I sobbed onto the floor, cursing fate for crippling me.

"Adele, are you ready?"

My head turned to the sudden voice that interrupted my little daydreaming. Winona's smiling face greeted me, her head poking through the small gap of the door. Winona was Chayton's mother and she had helped me during those awkward moments where I needed help a man couldn't provide. She would bathe and dress me when I was still adjusting to my state. Over the years, Winona became a mother figure I never had.

"Can you help me into my dress?" I asked timidly, rolling to the closet where my dress was hung.

"You don't even have to ask, dear," laughed Winona. She gently closed the door behind her and took the dress in her hands. I eyed the garment from the lace sleeves to the tight bodice and down to the flowing skirt.

"Um, I think we need an extra hand to get me into that," I suggested. Winona rubbed her chin a couple of times before leaving out the door with the dress. I chuckled to myself when I realized she probably went of searching for James.

James, my dear uncle, had sacrificed so much for me. After I was released from the hospital, he surprised me by showing the new house he had bought. It was a couple of blocks away from school and had three bedrooms. Chayton would drive down often to pick me up and drop me from school even though James insisted he did those by himself. James had no experience with kids at all but he was a devoted guardian nonetheless. He tended to my every need, even a 4 a.m bathroom call. Said man now had entered the room, embellished in a sharp tuxedo.

"Winona said you needed help?" he asked.

"Yup, as soon as I get out of my pajamas." Both Winona and I giggled when James visibly flushed crimson at my answer. Even after six years of living with me, he still wasn't used to the female body parts. Rolling my eyes, I shed my old pajamas and slipped on a thin chemise. James covered his eyes with a hand the whole time.

I slid the silky garment over my head and pop my arms into the thin lace sleeves. The bodice hugged my torso perfectly, with a little swirl at the end of my hip. "You can help me now," I called out to James. He quickly bent down and scooped me up, holding me upright by my waist. The skirt fluttered around me and touched the floor when I released it from my grip. Winona smoothened it out before James placed me on my chair once more.

I positioned myself in front of the mirror and couldn't help the gasp that flew from my mouth. The dress was stunning and held me in all the right places. A plain yet splendid wedding gown. Winona crouched next to my chair and wiped a few tears in her eyes.

"You are absolutely gorgeous, my dear," she breathed. I squeezed her hand that was next to my shoulder and smiled at her through the mirror. She pulled out a veil from its box and carefully placed it on top of my hair. My vision was instantly clouded but it was beautiful. James stood beside my chair and rearranged the veil slightly.

"I can't believe you're getting married. You're only twenty two," he grumbled under his breath.

"What can I say, we're a couple of crazy kids," I teased. A smile broke on James' face as he leaned down to peck my cheek.

"Are you ready to go now?" I glanced at Winona and nodded confidently. The three of us filtered out of my house and headed to where my future husband awaits.

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My eyes were fixed on the crowd gathered in the ballroom. I stared at the joyful people from my spot behind the DJ booth. Most of them were co-workers and friends of Chayton's and mine so there weren't so many guests invited that we can call a grand wedding. Everything was fairly modest; from the holy matrimony ceremony to the reception held in a small spa near the church. It was simple, it was small and it was perfect.

"What are your plans after this, may I ask?"

My head whipped to the sudden intruder that cut off my train of thoughts. I smiled at the handsome gentleman all suit up in his tuxedo, specially tailored for this occasion.

"Oh nothing much," I answered, "I'll probably go home, chuck out of this dress and sleep like there's no tomorrow."

He stepped closer to me and placed a hand on the handle of my chair. "Really now? Whatever's going to happen to that new husband of yours?"

I pretended to muss over it, leaning my chin on my open palm for dramatic effects. "Hmm, I don't know, I guess he can sleep next to me if he behaved tonight," my tone serious. He flashed me one of his blinding smiles and I did nothing but mirroring him. I stretched up as far as I possibly could when he bent down to close the distance between us. A content sigh escaped from me when our lips met softly and swiftly.

"Nervous for our dance, Mrs. Spears?" Chayton grinned after pulling away.

"Me? Nervous at dancing? You clearly don't know your wife as well as you thought, Mr. Spears," I retorted, doing a little twirl with my chair to confirm my moves. Chayton held my hand in his and led us out when the DJ announced it was time for our first dance.

We had practiced our routine hundreds of times so it wasn't such a big surprise how our dance seemed to flow calmly like fluid. It was difficult to master at first, seeing I was sitting on a wheelchair and Chayton was on his feet, but we enjoyed it more as we progressed.

Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song

Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they can't tempt us
With their lies

Chayton grabbed my hands and twirled me around on the dance floor. I closed my eyes and imagined myself dancing on my own two feet. We swayed from side to side and across the floor with ease. I beamed proudly at Chayton. His steps were never off beat.

And I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won't you try to come?

Come away with me
And we'll kiss on a mountain top

Chayton was doing all of the stepping and turning while pulling me along with him but his eyes never left mine even for a second. Suddenly the world had drifted away, leaving nothing but us and the music. Another twirl, another sway, everything was graceful.

Come away with me
And I'll never stop loving you

And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While I'm safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me

I was dipped backwards by Chayton, who grinned boyishly down at me before lowering his lips onto mine. Faintly, I could hear the cheers and catcalls from the crowd but nothing mattered than the man holding me in his arms. I had lost my family, my identity and my freedom but without all those hardships, I wouldn't have met this incredible man. Chayton pulled away a little too quickly and our moment was over but I knew there will be plenty more with my husband.

"I love you," I whispered, wrapping my arms around him.

"And I, you." Chayton righted me up and together, we faced the applauding crowd. My eyes went straight to James who was trying to wipe his tears discreetly while comforting a sobbing Winona. My heart swelled with love and joy at everyone around me. I couldn't have asked for a better life.

-THE END-

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