I met my husband in high school.
He was my first love.
Then, a week before Christmas, everything became chaotic.
No fireworks. No grand gestures.
Just that calm, constant feeling. Like being at home.
We were in our final year.
We were very much in love and thought we were untouchable. We also thought the future would be full of wonderful opportunities and we had no idea how difficult things could become.
His mother was shouting into the phone.
Then, a week before Christmas, everything became chaotic.
He was driving to his grandparents' house on a snowy night.
At least, that's what I believed for 15 years.
The call came while I was lying on my bedroom floor, wrapping gifts.
His mother was shouting into the phone. I understood a few words.
"I will not leave."
" Accident. "
" Truck. "
"He can no longer feel his legs."
The hospital was bathed in harsh light and the air was stale.
He was lying in a bed with railings and wires. A neck brace. Machines beeping. But his eyes were open.
I went home, stunned.
"I'm here," I told her, taking her hand. "I'm not leaving."
The doctor took his parents and me aside.
"Spinal cord injury," he said. "Paralysis from the waist down. We do not anticipate a recovery."
His mother was sobbing. His father was staring at the ground.
I went home, stunned.
"That's not what you need."
My parents were waiting for me at the kitchen table as if they were about to negotiate a deal with the prosecutor.
"Sit down," my mother told me.
I sat down.
"He had an accident," I said. "He can no longer walk. I'm going to spend as much time as possible at the hospital..."
"That's not what you need," she interrupted me.
"You can find someone who is healthy."
I blinked. "What?"
"You're 17," she said. "You have a real future ahead of you. Law school. A career. You can't get attached to... that."
"To what?" I retorted. "To my boyfriend who just became paralyzed?"
My father leaned forward.
"I know he would do the same for me."
"You're young," he told me. "You can find someone healthy. Someone who's successful. Don't waste your life."
J'ai ri parce que je pensais qu'ils plaisantaient.
« Je l'aime », ai-je répondu. « Je l'aimais avant l'accident. Je ne vais pas le quitter parce qu'il ne peut plus marcher. »
Les yeux de ma mère sont devenus froids. « L'amour ne paie pas les factures. L'amour ne le mettra pas dans un fauteuil roulant. Tu n'as aucune idée de ce qui t'attend. »
For full cooking steps, turn to the next page or click the Open button (>) and don't forget to SHARE with your Facebook friends.
