From the moment my eyes set on her, it was clear I had to do everything possible to be by her side. But when she grabbed my hand and smiled, I knew I was doomed! I was her slave. Little did I know how bad things would turn.
Initially, I couldn’t wait to return from work and be by her side. We laughed and played together till late. At night, I sat by her side, watching her sleep, waiting to give her the warmest kiss in the morning. Yes, it sounds like I was stalking her, but such is love.
Sometimes, when your world feels good and you are at the top, life happens, moving you like the wind shaking a tree.
One day, she looked sad, and her beautiful and joyful smile disappeared. She wasn’t feeling well.
I took her to the doctor to see what was wrong. That was the moment I received the worst news. The love of my life was very, very sick. The doctor told us that if we didn’t get to the hospital, she could die.
So we drove as fast as possible. Everything was happening like in a fast-forward movie. The nurses came and went, piercing her veins and taking blood for lab tests.
At that moment, time stopped, and I stood breathless, just waiting for the results. But when I saw her in her bed, my heart broke. There she was, so quiet, so fragile. I couldn’t wait for the results to know what was wrong with her.
When the doctor came back, we heard the terrible news: she had a severe condition, and the prognosis was so bad that she had little chance to make it through the weekend.
I felt someone pulling my life out of me.
Why, oh God, why?
Why Now?
Why this?
Why me?
Time passed, and the seconds became minutes, hours, and days. There she was in her bed, so many needles plugged into her veins and cables going to a monitor, making that awful and monotonous sound: Beep, Beep, Beep.
On Monday, the specialist came to the room and confirmed she had a strange disease and that she had to be under medical supervision from now on. The next six months were going to be extremely difficult.
The love of my life never complained. Her smile slowly returned to her face; she was recovering. On every visit to the doctor, he said she was better, but we had to be very careful.
Six months passed, and they told us she was no longer hanging by a thread, but still, the next two years were critical. After that, it was two more years, checking for any sign of problems.
In all that time, my beautiful warrior taught me daily a lesson on survival and how to stand brave, no matter the circumstances.
Four years passed since that awful day in July when we got the news, and everything was going fine. We took a trip to celebrate this long and sometimes painful journey. So we packed our stuff, and we went to Disneyland!
You might think it’s a strange choice, but where else would you take the person you love the most for a joyful time? She stood Stoic during those hard times and taught me crucial lessons on courage.
Also, she wanted to meet Winnie The Pooh. Besides, where else can you take your four-year-old daughter for her birthday?
Now, 30 years have gone by, and the lesson is still the same:
Take nothing for granted!
I wake up daily, thanking God for all her time teaching and guiding me; also, like that day when I stood by her hospital bed, I say:
Please, God, please, Just One More Day!
© Copyright Jose Luis Ontanon, 2024
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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Photo credit: Nick Fewings on Unsplash
