Cages of Love

Chapter two

I could feel her next to me with chills and sweat. 

She was shivering and I turned over and pulled her close to me, I knew it was the nightmares again. "Vanya, it's okay my love, I'm here." She moved her body closer to mine and pulled my arms around her. I kissed her neck and whispered in her ear "Try and sleep, you've got your big presentation." Vanya is the most beautiful woman I've ever met regardless of her night terrors that always keep me up as well. She's worth it. I just don't know what it is that scares her at night, she never wants to discuss the nightmares with me. She always says "it was nothing". I always wonder why she doesn't want to open more up to me. Vanya and I have been together for four years. It'll be four years on October fifth. 

We met when I moved to Chicago, I'll never forget the first day I saw her. It was the day that I found out my mother passed away in Sweden and I had no money to go over there because I saved all my money to come to America. My heart was broken just completely shattered. I went to an art gallery because my mother was an artist and I wanted to see what she loved so much and why she did this, if I couldn't be there for her funeral, I wanted to be close to her spirit and where her creativity lived. I never talk about how my mother died because it's only for me to know and my family. The day I went to that art gallery was the first day I felt so much closer to my mother and where I met a woman who changed my life and showed me what love is. The gallery was packed with people, so many different people, so many different races and they all had unique style. There was one painting that immediately caught my eye and it was incredibly vibrant, it was so beautiful and had so much feelings in it. Just looking at this painting I could feel what the artist felt and I realized this is why my mother loved art. 

The painting was of a dainty black birdcage and the door was closing but the bird was trying to go back in. The bird was tiny and blue, it was lovely. I stayed there staring at this painting for so long trying to figure out why this bird would want to go back in the cage when it was already out in the beauty of the world. At that moment of contemplating why this bird would be trying to go back in the cage, that's when I heard her soft voice. "You haven't checked out any other paintings quite like you have with this one, you've been standing here for 30 minutes now." I laughed and continued to stare at the painting and said "I've been here wondering why this bird is trying to go back inside the cage, it just doesn't make any sense." I remember she stayed quiet for a while and then said "Maybe the bird is afraid of what is out there." I finally turned to see who I was talking to and it was her, Vanya, I replied and said "Maybe it's afraid of being on its own in the world, with no one to care for it." That's when I felt deep inside how much I'm going to miss my mother and I finally understood her in a deeper way. I remember Vanya then said "That's the beauty of art, there are always so many maybes and reasons that can be behind it." I looked at her and smiled. She smiled back and I distinctly remember her putting her long brunette hair up in a ponytail.

That was the first time I found someone who understood things in a deeper way. She looked at me and said "I'm Vanya...Vanya Teresi." I smiled and felt warmth in my heart just from watching her lips say her name and the sound of her voice. "Teresi?" "Is that Greek?" I asked her and she kindly said yes to me. I looked at her more and finally said "I'm Lukas...Lukas Ardell." She smiled and laughed "You're a swede. Of course, you are. I like that." From that day there was just this feeling I had in my heart that this all happened for a reason and that my mother bought me an angel to love and take care of, an angel named Vanya Teresi.