Love at first sight

Lydia and her family had moved a lot. They were gypsies. They had migrated so many times since she was younger, but this time, they finally settled on the outskirts of Spain.

Lydia never had any real connection with anyone apart from her family and fellow gypsies. She barely made friends because of the frequent migration. Now she was an adult and due for marriage. Her parents had been giving her hints that they want her to get married soon. They believed in the idea of getting married early and raising a family. They wanted an enlarged family. To them, it was a case of "the more, the merrier".

Lydia had never been in love with anyone before. She didn't see herself falling in love or even getting married anytime soon. It wasn't even in her plans at that moment.

Lydia suspected that her parents were arranging for a man she would get married to. His name was Gary. She had seen him around a few times, and he had approached her a few times, trying to form a rapport and bond with her. However, she wasn't buying in. She just didn't like his Aura.

Lydia loved to look at the sky at night. It was a habit she picked up when she was a little kid and it stayed with her. She loved how the countless stars were littered all over the sky in a random manner.

She loved how the crescent or oval shaped moon lit up the sky, in the absence of the sun. One night, she went to her favorite spot at a nearby hill to look at the sky and relax. She loved that place because it was usually quiet. People rarely went there, especially at night. On getting there, she noticed that there was somebody there already. He sat there, looking like his was lost in his thoughts.

"Excuse me, are you lost or something?" Lydia asked the man , startling him back to reality.

"Hi. I'm not lost. I just came here for some peace and quiet. I needed to clear my head, and looking at the sky helps me to that." he replied.

Lydia sat next to him, getting a good look at him. He was absolutely charming. He had blue eyes, that seemed to her like they glowed in the dark. His chin was perfectly shaped. The darkness of the night wasn't enough to conceal how handsome he was. He looked at her and she could feel her heart skipping beats like she was about to have a cardiac arrest. His voice caused chaos in her mind. He talked softly and calmly. There was something about him that increased her heart rate, or perhaps, it was everything about him.

"Do you stay around here?" Lydia asked, trying to ascertain if he was a gypsy too, since the vicinity was mostly occupied by gypsies.

"No, I stay some blocks away. I was taking a walk, then I found this spot and I've come to like it here." he said.

"So you're a Spaniard?" Lydia asked, noticing the Spanish accent in his English.

"Yes, I am. I'm Diego by the way. What's your name?"

"My name is Lydia"

"Nice to meet you Lydia"

They both sat there in silence, looking at the sky. Even though they didn't talk much, they had so much chemistry between them. They enjoyed each others company.

"I have to go now. My family might be getting worried" Lydia said.

"Alright then. Have a good night. See you tomorrow?" Diego asked

"Sure, see you tomorrow". Lydia replied.

Lydia got home and she couldn't get Diego out of her mind. It was love at first sight.

Source

The next night, she hurriedly went to the hill, hoping to meet Diego there. On arriving, he wasn't there. She felt disappointed. It marveled her how a place she used to come to for serenity, had suddenly turn to place where she was excited to meet a man. She sat there, wondering if she should stay and watch the sky or go home. Then suddenly, she heard his voice from behind

"You're quite early tonight"

Lydia's face lit up on hearing that charming voice of his.

"Rather, you're late" Lydia responded.

They both talked, laughed, and got to know each other better. They soon became lovers. They had just met but it was as if they had been best friends for a long while.

Lydia knew that her parents would never let her get together with anyone who wasn't a gypsy, so they kept their relationship a secret.

One day, Lydia's parents called her to the sitting room.

"Lydia, you know you're ripe for marriage. It is about time you settled down and start your own family. So we have agreed that you will be getting married to Gary" her father said.

"Dad, mum, I'm sorry to disappoint you but I can't marry Gary. I don't love him" Lydia said.

"Gary is everything you would ever want in a man. His family is well to do. He is humble. He is willing to take good care of you. Give him a chance" her mother added

"I'm sorry. I can't marry Gary. I'm in love with someone else. We are in a relationship" Lydia dropped the big news on her parents.

"And who is the man in question and where is he from?" her father asked, with shock on his face.

"His name is Diego and he is a Spaniard" Lydia replied.

"So he is not even a gypsy. You already know we can't approve of your relationship with him" her father said.

"But I really love him dad. We love each other so much"

"Look Lydia, it's either you end that relationship or you forget about being my daughter" her father said angrily and walked out.

Her mother was disappointed about what Lydia had just told them, but she was more worried that her husband was willing to disown their daughter.

Two days later, on seeing how disapproving her parents were about her relationship with Diego, she planned to elope with him to a faraway place where they could live together and even get married.

She made her plans with Diego who was also in on it. That night, she packed her things, and just as she was about to sneak out of the house, she encountered her parents. Her mother was in tears.

"Lydia, so you are willing to leave us just because of this issue" her mother said, sobbing.

Lydia stood there speechless. She just didn't know what to say to them.

"I know that I've been unreasonable with this whole issue, and I may have driven you to decide to elope. But you're my daughter and I just realized that I can't let you do this. I'm sorry" her father said on realizing the error he had made.

Lydia was moved to tears. She thwarted her plan to elope. The next day, she invited Diego to meet her parents, they loved him and accepted him.

After a short while, they began preparations for a wedding, and they eventually got married.