Darkened Sun

He had been in love with her for years

Since they were both secondary school

She was perhaps the most beautiful girl in the world

She also has a heart of gold

He cannot not count the number of admirers she has

Guys would sometimes fight over her

She was smart

She never dated any

He didn’t have a stake except his beating heart

What would he say to her?

How would he say it?

Guys were investing in wooing her

Some evenings he would go to her mother’s shop and see cars parked all the way to the end of their street

Someone like him never stood a chance

They got closer in the university

They were admitted into the same department

Since he was a known face, it was easier to say hi to her

Guys of all ages flocked to her beauty

Ladies dripped with envy

He knew she would have to make a choice soon

The pressure was frantic

She did

She chose a very handsome, privileged young man

Even he had to agree she chose right

The shadow of the admirers shifted a little

They didn’t give up

Only waited patiently for the relationship to scatter

She told him once that her choice was for momentary relief, not for love

The relationship lasted till they got to the final year

The guy proposed on Valentine ’s Day at a restaurant

She said No!

Three months later, as she returned home from school, a hooded guy jumped out of nowhere and bathed her with acid

Fire, Fire, Fire was all she was screamed

People got water, palm oil, raw egg

They washed her in all sorts

The sun didn’t journey east that day

The whole world lost balance

Before she got to the hospital

Beauty had become a beast

The police arrested at least a hundred people

Who could have done this evil?

Evil triumphed!

The beauty that once made the sun stand still

The beauty that once bid grown hard guys peep and imagine

This light was turned to darkness

She was flown abroad

From India to Australia to the USA

For four years, her life cycled around theatres and surgeries

The world moved on

He moved on too

He was in London for a conference

The speaker failed to turn up

He left the venue 40 minutes early

Stepped into the cold autumn evening

He heard his name, he turned around

He saw a bright smile, she saw the confused look in his eyes

She introduced herself

WOAH!

She was not the same

But she looked very close to normal

The beauty that made the sun dance had been replaced by another type of beauty

The type tamed by life and wisdom

They didn’t meet by chance

She saw from his update on Facebook that he was attending a conference in the UK

She flew down from the US to see him

She: I wanted to see you, of all the people I knew, you were the only one I wanted to see

He: Was that because you knew I love you?

She: Yes

They were married eight months later

They live in the USA

They own an immigration law firm

The End