The last day of summer was there. They saw each other in private. Mei didn't want to cry, but the thought of losing him forever scared her. She'd return to the girls' school, and he would be in college and his family will move to another house.
"I made this for you, think of me" she said giving him a handkerchief.
"Thank you" he smiled.
"Promise me that we'll see again, Lars, please, promise me" she asked him sadly.
"I promise. I don't know how much it takes, but I'll come back" he said offering her a brooch. "This is for you, it was of my grandma, she gave it to me when I found the woman for me; now, it's yours" he murmured softly.
"That makes me your bride?" she asked shyly.
"Yes, you are my bride"
She took it as if it was the most precious treasure in the world. He caressed her cheek delicately to wipe her tears. Then, they kissed softly. He would like to be there forever, but not now, they were too young and he didn't have his own money to give her everything she wanted. But she only wanted him.
"Please, don't forget to come back for me" she thought looking the train going away.
"Please, wait for me" he thought.
7 years later.
Lars didn't know how that causality happened; memories came to his mind: that girl with long hair smiling, running after him to show him a frog, and talking about her dreams while both looked at the stars. He sighed. His sister and his brother-in-law were waiting for him at the train station.
"Brother!" Emma said hugging him.
Lars felt nostalgic, that place… Mei…
"Welcome" she said.
Emma had recovered the house where they used to lived, with a little help of Antonio, her husband, that house now was hers. So, she invited her two brothers to spend some weeks with her. "You know it's time", what was she told him, and he didn't need to ask because he knew what she meant.
They arrived to the house; Henri was waiting for them. After talk about his work and his life, he decided to go out for a while. He needed some fresh air and think, why he was so anxious. He promised her, and also, he wanted to see her.
Suddenly, he heard that sweet voice again he turned around and he couldn't believe it: Mei was there, the same bratty girl who used to make fun of him, the same who played with frogs, and the one who became his confident, and he thought that there wasn't a woman more beautiful than her.
Mei Wang, he thought. She looked so feminine and delicate, and even more gorgeous, but her sweet childlike smile was the same. He wanted to tell her so many things at that moment; he didn't know how to start. She seemed surprised to see him.
"You grew up" he said.
Mei laughed and he blushed. That was how she remembered him: adorably awkward. He was so tall and he looked so mature and elegant, he was as she imagined him. Both looked down. How to start that conversation, how to say: do you remember the promise? Are you still mine? Were you waiting for me?
"Mei, I finally find you, we need to go home" a young man said.
"Yao, do you remember …"
"Lars Janssen" he replied quickly.
"I don't remember you, you aren't one of my sister's suitors, but your face seems familiar…"
"Yao!" Mei said, blushing. "I am sorry, we have to go, and it was nice to see you… again" she said.
Lars looked at her hopelessly. What suitors? He thought. He came back home, he was so confused, "So, she forgot it?" He was quiet during dinner.
"What's wrong, brother?"
"Nothing, I am just tired"
"You should rest then"
He nodded and went to bed. He felt disappointed, but also, he wanted to talk with her. She still lived next door, he needed and explanation, even thought, maybe he didn't have the right of require it. He wasn't her boyfriend or her fiancé… but she told him she was his bride. That confused him even more.
The next morning, when they were having breakfast, Emma asked:
"Brother, why you didn't tell me you talked Mei Wang yesterday?"
He was surprised. Emma giggled.
"You two used to be so… close"
Lars blushed and pretended he was mad. He crossed his arms. How the hell she had to remind him. But, that meant that Mei talked with her about him.
"You know, she is still single…"
"So?"
"I thought you needed to know it. By the way, she invited us to her home; her family will have a kind of gathering"
He looked at her, but she ignored him. She perfectly knew what happened between him and Mei, even thought, they had to keep the secret, only until he could marry her. And she perfectly knew his real reason to be there, and the lucky coincidence to recover the old familiar house.
"I'm glad you are here" Mei said.
And after exchange some phrases with them, Lars tried to be close to her, and talk, ask her about that important matter he needed to know.
"And… how have you been?" she asked.
"Fine, I am an accountant. And you?"
"Oh, that's good! I am a teacher"
They remained in silence, looking at each other, smiling shyly, but feeling awkward. They couldn't understand that feeling, after all, they used to be close and trust each other, talk about their dreams, fears and secrets, now they felt like strangers. Then, Yao approached to them.
"I can't believe that moron is here, did you invite him?" he said looking at a man at the other side of the room.
"No, maybe he invited himself, or grandma and my parents invited him, they are the only ones who laugh at his jokes" Mei said.
Yao sighed, and then he looked at Lars.
"Hey, if you want to marry my sister, go ahead, and take her away from this place and that buffoon"
Mei and Lars blushed, but before they could say something, her mother called her. She excused and left.
"I'm talking seriously. I remember you" Yao repeated. "That buffoon thinks he can trick me, he doesn't deserve her"
Mei was one of the most beautiful girls in town, and she seemed to be very popular, she always received so much attention. But there was certain young man who stood out among the others. Tom was good looking, charismatic and rich. Her brothers seemed to dislike him, but her parents and her nana adored him.
During those days, Lars tried to talk with her, but the man of the other day was very close to the family. And although she didn't seem to like him, that man had won half or her family, and that was a disadvantage.
One day, Lars finally could walk with her. They talked about their works and the day, nothing important, nothing of what they wanted to tell each other. Suddenly, that man appeared.
"Mei, aren't you going to introduce me to your… friend" he seemed annoyed.
"Lars, this is Tom, and Tom this is Lars" she said coldly.
The man tried to grab her by the arm, but she rejected him.
"I forgot, my mother wanted some apples, could you go for them?" she asked Tom.
"Sure, anything for my lady. Nice to meet you Hans" he said faking a smile.
She sighed.
"I'm sorry, it's the way he is"
"Don't worry" Lars said.
He walked her home. And again both felt like cowards. Why they were behaving that way. They remembered that day, when she twisted her ankle and he helped her, he carried her to her home, and after that she used to look for him, and both started talking, and spending every day together, having feelings for each other but confessing until that last summer they were together.
That afternoon, as always, Tom was there, she went to the garden for a while and he followed her.
"Your friend… I forgot his name, seems nice. Is he married?"
"No, I don't think so" she said hesitantly.
"Oh well, maybe he has a girl, at his age he must have someone, you know. Or do you think he has waited for you all this years?"
She glared at him.
"Oh I'm sorry, your nana told me, I thought you had forgotten it. Don't you think it was just a childish romance? I mean, has he told you something? In his place, I would have propose to you since the first day" he murmured when he enter the house.
Then, Mei wondered why Lars hadn't told her anything yet. It would be because he forgot it, maybe that kiss didn't mean anything for him, after all, he could meet someone prettier than her. She remembered that time he called her brat, but it was before they spend so much time together. No, Tom was jealous.
She looked at the brooch, her most precious treasure. But what if Tom was right? Since then, she started ignoring Lars.
A couple of days later, Lars had to go out for a while, he saw her alone, sitting in the grass, she seemed not realizing it was raining. She saw him, stood up and walked fast. He went after her.
Mei continued walking, ignoring him, trying pointlessly that not get her dress dirty with mud, but she was completely soaked. Lars felt ridiculous, holding the umbrella, also he was soaked.
"Wait! Wait!"
Finally, he caught her up and took her arm.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"I am not"
"Yes, you are, tell me why"
She looked down; she made an effort to not crying, not in front of him. She wasn't 15 anymore, but she felt the same she felt 7 years ago, when he had to go.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked preoccupied.
"Do you want to know? Well, here it is. I've been waiting for you all these years; I've been dreaming like a stupid for 7 years of you finally coming back for me… but you forgot it, that promise didn't mean anything for you. But you know what; I decided I have to move forward…"
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe I should stop believing in this dream and get marry with Tom, he had always been in love with me…"
He got mad.
"No, you can't marry him; you can't marry any other man!"
"Why not?" she replied annoyed.
"Because you are mine!" he finally said.
"What?"
"Do you think I forgot our promise? Mei, I waited 7 years too, I couldn't think in any other thing but being by your side. I am here for you. Look" he said showing her the handkerchief. "I always take it with me"
"Then, why you didn't say anything?"
"How I could? I wanted to be alone with you, but there was always something or someone"
She started crying. He embraced tightly.
"Lars, please, tell me you are being serious"
"Of course I am"
"That means… I am still your bride?"
"You have always been my bride"
Then they kissed, ignoring the rain and the cold wind.
Lars and Mei took a breath; he wanted to talk with her parents. They were very surprised when they listened to him.
"I love your daughter and I want to marry her" he said nervous.
"But… how about Tom?" her mother replied.
"Mom, I don't love him. I don't even like him" Mei said for the first time.
"No? And you love this stranger instead? Dear, say something" her mother said looking at her husband.
Mr. Wang looked at him seriously.
"I remember you" he said thoughtfully "Your family lived next door. I didn't understand why my daughter was very attached to you, and then I realized you were more than a friend for her, and you saw her with tenderness, you still do it. At that time I thought she would forget you when you were in college, but now I know why she rejected some boys"
"Dad…"
"Yao and I were talking; I have to admit that Tom is boastful. Jiang and Li dislike him"
Mei's mother remained in silence but she seemed to agree with her husband.
Mei held Lars' hand between hers.
"I promise that I'll make her happy" Lars said.
"Alright, I trust you" Mr. Wang said.
Mei smiled.
Mei and Lars' engagement lasted a few months more because their family thought they were going so fast, even though, they were ready to start a life together. But, they waited. The wedding was small and private. Tom and her other suitors were sad, because a stranger was the one she chose, but she had made her decision seven years ago.
"And that's the love story I love the most" Anri told her teenage grand-daughter
"Your parents' love story! It's the first time I heard it" Lotte said.
"Look, this is a picture of them when they got married"
"Both looked so happy. The great-grandparents made a lovely couple!" the girl said looking at the pictures.
"Uncle Yao used to say that happiness is for dorks, so they were a couple of dorks."
Both laughed.
And then, Anri found one picture where they appeared with their three little children. She smiled nostalgic.
"Do you miss them?" Lotte asked shyly.
"Every day, when I remember the songs my mom used to sing to me, the same I sang to you, and when I see the garden and I remember how much my dad loved flowers" Anri sighed.
Lotte looked at her grandmother.
"They lived happy together with the problems of all the couples live, but always supporting each other. When they were an old married couple, they still seemed in love. So when she's gone, he couldn't stand it, and he went with her a bit later"
"I should stop making her wait for me. But wherever she is, I'll be with her soon. She was my first love but also the love of my life"
"That was the last he told me"
Lotte hugged her.
"Now that I remember, they could meet you when you were born" Anri said showing her another picture.
"I know, I would like to talk with them and know them more"
Anri whipped some tears and tried to smile. She looked for more pictures.
"Well, I could tell you more stories about them"
The girl nodded enthusiastically, while her grandmother told her the story of their vacation in the woods, and all the funny moments they lived.