There is brief talk of religion in this chapter, so be warned.
Chapter 4: You Don't Have To Be Scared You're Not Enough
(Isabela's POV)
When the door opens, I give my in-laws a small smile while holding my wife's hand tightly.
"What?" Becky's father asks.
"I know you won't accept us because we're both women and we're together…but please reconsider. We're married."
"We're aware of our daughter's marital status…but we can't accept you."
"I grew up Catholic…my whole family grew up Catholic, but they accept me…us. Why can't you do the same?"
"Because it's against our religion."
"My wife isn't religious…and I won't force her to be, but I believe God loves all of His children, and since we were created in His image, why would He create someone He didn't love?" I say.
"It's a sin to be gay." Becky's mother says.
"It's also a sin to eat pork, wear mixed fabrics, and to even be a woman. But you, Mrs. Nielsen, eat pork, and wear mixed fabrics all the time, do you not? And isn't the greatest commandment to love your neighbor? Or do we need to spell it out for you?"
"Mom, Dad. I love Isabela with my whole heart. And unless we find a way to get back to our home in Colombia, we're stuck here until we can find a way back home. Please consider letting us stay under this roof for the time being."
A few silent minutes pass as Becky and I stare her parents down.
Then, her father speaks up.
"I personally don't have a problem with you two staying here, but whatever my wife says, I go with."
My wife and I look pleadingly at Becky's mother.
"Please, Mom. We have nowhere else to go until we find a way back home." Becky says.
Becky's mother sighs.
"I'm not happy about it, but since you have nowhere else to go, and until you find a way back home, you can stay here. But you are not to do anything other than sleep in your bedroom, got it?"
"Mom, we're married. Plus, I'm asexual, and that means I, personally, don't want to have sex, and Isa respects that! And it's none of your business what we do in my room."
"You are under my roof, so you will abide by my rules. Is that understood, ladies?"
Becky and I groan and look at each other before replying.
"Understood."
"Good. Now get to bed. It's late."
Becky leads me upstairs to her bedroom, the room I've only seen in my dreams.
It's beautiful.
It's got a full bed up against the wall with a nightstand beside it. Beside that nightstand is a case full of CDs and DVDs. When you walk into the room, to the right is the bookcase almost filled to the brim with books. Next to the bookcase is the desk, and, under the window is the windowseat with a cushion and some pillows. To the left of the door is the closet.
And that's my wife's room.
After lending me some pajamas, Becky and I get ready for bed and go to bed. And so, our life begins in the real world…a place she hasn't seen in two years…and a place I've never seen.
In the middle of the night, she wakes up, terrified that we'll never get back home, that she'll never be enough for her parents, or for me.
"Baby...everything will be okay. And you will always be enough for me, even if you're not enough for your parents. You are my present and future, and no one will ever be able to change that. I promise." I kiss my wife's forehead and we head back to sleep.