Day 7: run away with me
Us
Lars hugged Mei, she was sobbing. He hardly could see her. It was late at night, but that was the only time they had to meet. Just in the dark they felt safe. It wasn't their fault, but their families were against their love and it had to be a secret that they still loved each other. Their time apart didn't help, when she went to a school just for girls and he went to college. To the contrary, their love became even stronger.
At that moment, they were spending their holidays at home. Her father had started accepting that some other young men courted her. However, he perfectly knew where her heart belonged. Also his parents were looking for a young girl to marry him.
"What you felt for that brat was just an infatuation" their parents told them.
But they were absolutely sure about their feeling. It was love. They knew it since the first time they saw each other, since they were still children. It was a strong and beautiful feeling.
"I am tired of this. I don't want to hide anymore, I would like that everyone knows I love you" she said.
He hugged her tightly.
"And me too. I don't know what else to do"
"Run away with me" she asked him "I don't care where, but I want to be with you. We could start a new life and being happy"
"What do you say?"
"Please. I don't want to marry anyone that isn't you" she sobbed.
He looked at her surprised, but it seemed to be the only solution to their problem. He didn't want to marry any other person either. So, they planned everything. It would be dangerous, but they were desperate.
Two nights later, they'd meet in their secret place and then they'd take a train to a very far away town. Mei carried all the necessary in a suitcase. She wanted to leave a note for her mother at least, but she didn't do it.
"Are you really going to run away, you aren't?" Li asked her, when she was outside her home.
"Li, please, don't say a thing"
"It's ok. You know what you are doing. Just take care of you. I hope we'll see again" he said, trying to hide the sadness of saying goodbye to his sister all of a sudden.
"I promise" she said hugging him.
And then he saw Lars waiting for her. He took her hand and started walking quickly. Li smiled, he hoped she was finally happy, he was sure that Lars would take care of her.
Lars and Mei arrived to the train station. They were more excited than scared. They were a young couple with the head full of dreams and the heart full of love for each other.
"I'm going to miss them" she whispered.
"I know" he said, putting his arm around her shoulders.
The train started advancing while they said goodbye to everything they knew, but they were sure their new life would be wonderful. That was a decision that none of them would regret. Years later, when they were an old married couple, she would ask him if he regretted to renounce to his career as a lawyer and all the success he surely would get.
"I won't change any single day of our life together for anything" he would say. "And you?"
"Me neither" she'd say with a smile, hugging him.
It had been easy to start from nothing, but if they were together they'd have everything, and that was the only thing that mattered.