After organizing Veronica’s belongings, Miguel told her, “How about we purchase merchandise for the house?” She answered him, “I think it’s a good idea.”
Miguel called a taxi, and they went to one of the stores to do the shopping. Upon arrival, he took one of the shopping carts so that they could put in the items they would choose and told Verónica, “Choose what you need and what you think the house needs.” Between the two of them they began to choose everything they needed. She chose some things, while he chose others, and between the two they filled the cart until they had everything they needed. They went to the cash register, paid, and took another taxi that transported them to his house. The merchandise was unloaded from the vehicle and was carried into the house, where he began to arrange everything in their respective areas. Meanwhile, Veronica told him, “Miguel, I’m going to cook a meal so we can eat.” He then replied, “It seems like a good idea to me—while I keep accommodating everything.”
That is how they spent the day. Miguel hadn’t asked her any questions about her arrival. He let her decide when she thought it was time to talk to him, to explain, which she would eventually. The days passed calmly. He went to work early; she took care of things at home; he came back; they talked. When they had the confidence, she began to tell him about situations in the past and things that had happened to her, and he also told her a few things, since he couldn’t tell her everything about himself. They both gave each other their all; they had a good relationship, good communication and were happy. As the years went by, Miguel thought to himself, “How is it possible that I had never found a woman like her, or had never met Veronica before.” He even had mentioned it to her in a conversation they once had: “Veronica, you are the most perfect woman. I don’t understand how I had never met you before,” he said.
She reciprocated the same thought to him. They corresponded with love, affection—the way a couple should get along, always happy. He always tried to make jokes, or invent funny stories to tell her so that he could enjoy her laughter. As the years passed, they went for walks; they took trips to different places, they would sometimes go to exquisite restaurants on dates. He always showered her with gifts for her birthdays, Christmas, New Year’s, and on special holidays. Miguel’s treatment of her was completely different. He had learnt how to treat a woman right, by being affectionate, always finding ways to please her in everything she needed, in everything she liked, including songs, movies, etc. They would sometimes cook some delicious dishes together, enjoying themselves in the process. In short, he was no longer the uptight and direct man he was before. He had changed due to the life experiences which taught him how he should be with her; he was a completely different man. They were one for the other.
However, one day, Veronica began feeling ill. Miguel took her to the doctor, who did a number of tests. At first, doctors thought that she had cancer; however, with further analysis they concluded that she had two tumors, one in each breast, and needed surgery immediately. An incision was made under each arm. The doctors removed the entire mass from the root and, once finished, they gave her 22 stitches under each arm. Miguel found someone trustworthy who could help him with Veronica, for he had to go to work, and she needed assistance. She wasn’t able to stand up by herself, for both her arms were immobile, so she couldn’t take a bath on her own, and she had to be fed. The good news was that she was well taken care of until she was cured. Months later, she was healed completely. Their lives continued in harmony, until Veronica began complaining about headaches. Once more, she was taken to do some tests to find out why she was having uncontrollable headaches. The doctors performed various tests; however, they couldn’t find anything. Finally, they diagnosed her with migraines. She began taking medications to relieve some of the pain, but at times the meds didn’t work. Miguel was always very attentive when it came to Veronica, so when she was feeling bad, he would calmly caress her, he tried making her feel better. His warm touch made her feel protected and secure, loved; he did everything in his power so that she felt important. She was of importance to him. The treatment he gave her, the treatment they both gave each other, made them fall deeply in love.
She became a sickly person; she wasn’t like that when they met, but all of a sudden, she began getting one illness after the other. Time went by, the years went by, until one day, she lost complete consciousness of her surroundings and did not recognize the love of her life, Miguel. He took her to the emergency room. She was admitted, and the doctors did a CT Scan, which showed that she had a brain tumor. The doctor had informed Miguel that she only had a week to live, and any attempt to remove the tumor only gave her a 5% chance of survival. Miguel did not know what to do, since the amount of money they were charging for the removal of the mass, well, he did not have that quantity. The only thing that was left for him was what God commanded. They took care of her. She lived another month, and unfortunately passed away.
Miguel was lost, his entire world was shattered. He had never had any experience of this sort. When he thought he had finally found the ideal and perfect person, she left. They had lived together for 14 happy years. He did not understand how it was possible. The irony of his luck in life. He could never find a happy home with love, a home where he and his spouse could live their years happy, becoming grey and old together until death would they part. In this case, Miguel was already of age and had several illnesses for which he was receiving treatment. He was in disbelief. He wept internally, thinking, “How is it possible that such a young woman has passed on from this life and I, who am old, am still here?” He felt that he should have died before her. He remembered that he had once asked her how old she was, and she had told him that she was 27. He was 54; that is, he was twice her age, so he never thought that she was going to leave before him. His belief was that she was going to take care of him in his old age; however, things were not like that: she departed this world before him.
An emptiness stayed in Miguel. He remained alone. He went through depression from which it took a long time for him to recover; he had to mentally fight to get rid of that and accept the life that he had to live. He had done it before, but little did he know that he was going to do it again, that it was going to hurt more. Miguel remained alone, sick. The years went by, he got older, he had more diseases, each time something else, every year something new and different. Little by little he found out that he had diseases he never expected to have. Little by little, he was wasting away; his body was losing strength. Little by little his years were depleting, and he was waiting for the moment when he would leave this earth. It is sad, but it is a harsh reality.
(THE END)
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May 7, 2023
Finca Solana
Corozal Town