As long as the sky is blue

Chapter Ten

For the umpteenth time, I surprised us both yet again. For the life me, I believed my brain had accelerated in reasoning. I couldn't believe I had just proposed. Staring at her, I noticed she was also in shock. It made me extremely nervous.

“Wha—What did you just say?” She asked in a massive expression of shock. Deep down, I realized I wanted to marry her. I would do anything just to make her happy. So...

“Shit, I'm doing this the wrong way.” I muttered as I stood to my feet, gave her a helping hand so she'd stand up and then instantly went down on one knee and gazed up at her with all seriousness. I had to do this right.

I cleared my throat and my thoughts, feeling braver than ever.

“I know you're stunned but I'm for real; I want to marry you! I love you and you love me and since we met, my mission has been to make you happy, to make you smile, and I vow to fulfil my promise to you. Tomiwa... Will you marry me?” In her super expressive eyes, I saw a happy spark but it was accompanied with fear and doubt.

“B—B—But look at me? I can't be a wife to you. Remember my illness, in a matter of days, I'll be an empty shell, a blank page. I won't be able to perform as a wife or a mother.” As if remembering Minho came with the package of marrying me, she expounded, “Minnie needs a mother who will be there for him. To read him bedtime stories, to dress him up for school, to always remember him and love him unconditionally... I can't do all these.” A tear slid off her eyes and landed on the back of my left palm which still engulfed hers as I knelt. It shattered me to see her this way.

“Firstly, I am looking at you and do you know what I see?” She shook her head, interested in what I had to say, “I see the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on, more importantly, I see a woman with the purest of hearts, a strong woman who has passed through fire, burned, scarred but still moving on. You don't know how much I admire you for all you've passed through yet you keep on smiling.”

“I remember you told me you've missed out on so many things; a sibling, your parents coming back together so you can be one happy family, falling in love with that one man, getting married and having as many children as you wanted. Here I am, Tomiwa, offering you true love, offering you a chance to get back what you missed out on. Your parents may never come back together but that won't deter me from loving you as you deserve. Also, Minho adores you, it would be his dream come true if you became his mother. Tomiwa, I promised I would help you get your life back, to bring back the light you think you've lost. This is me offering you all of me; heart, body and soul. Screw Alzheimer's disease!!! I don't care if you lose your memory now, tomorrow or anytime. All I care about is loving you everyday for the rest of our lives. Tomiwa, I love you, please... Marry me.”

I spent the preceding moments watching her cry, my knees twitched but I stayed that way, confused. Is a man allowed to stand up or remain in a kneeling position until the lady agreed to marry him? I decided to keep kneeling until she said yes and oh boy did I get so overjoyed when she nodded, unable to say anything coherent. I jumped to my feet and hugged her for the longest time.

“Yes, I will marry you!” Finally, she said. Tears rolled down my eyes—just two rolls though—but I didn't care. The love of my life had just agreed to marry me. I extricated our embrace only to place my mouth on hers. I just couldn't get enough of her. It amazed me that she had agreed to marry me. Mentally, I did the moonwalk while physically deeping the kiss. Behind us, someone cleared their throat in a siren kind of way. We froze, expecting to find perhaps a nurse or doctor witnessing our magical moment only to find Bisola, Tomiwa's mum, smiling like she had caught a teenage couple get at in on the kitchen counter.

“Glad the sexual tension has been acknowledged.” She smirked, mortifying the scenario further. “So... Are you two dating now?” she asked like she had predicted it all along. I looked at my wife-to-be who stared right back at me, plotting how to tell her mother, dating wasn't even in the agenda as our relationship had skyrocketed to the highest level.