The Unexpected Love

(Third and Final Part)

Thomas reached home, feeling somewhat restless today. He could not concentrate on anything. He remembered the brief conversation he had with Jonie during their meeting. They had spent almost three-quarters of an hour together, yet exchanged only a few sentences. Most of the time was spent in silence. Sometimes, however, eyes and expressions themselves speak more than words do, and to give that silent conversation its final shape, voices eventually need to emerge. With their eyes and faces, they had already spoken much; only the voice had not yet been expressed. And when it finally did, it was merely to give closure, nothing more was necessary.

The tears that continuously flowed from Jonie’s eyes also spoke volumes. In their silence, countless feelings were being revealed. In a way, Thomas felt satisfied today, because he had once sensed that he had fallen from Jonie’s grace, but now that misunderstanding had been cleared. His love had gained meaning. This too was a great achievement for him. He truly never wished to be bad to anyone, especially not in the eyes of the one he had loved. To be seen as bad by her had felt even more painful to him. Today, however, he felt that this matter had been resolved completely. This gave him peace of mind, lightness, and joy.

Yet, a curiosity still lingered within him—why had Jonie acted that way three years ago? Was it her compulsion or her selfishness? And what was the reason behind her tears now? If it had to be done, why had she engaged in such acts of disdain back then? Why did she unfriend him on social media? These questions played ever more restlessly in Thomas’s mind. Still, he wondered, if that was the case, then why had she immediately accepted his friend request when he sent it? That was puzzling. Anyway, whatever the reason, he believed that in their next meeting, everything would become clear. He was confident that the next meeting would settle everything, since the previous one, being after such a long time, was unnatural and unexpected. That was why many things could not be expressed clearly then. He also understood that Jonie had felt awkward in answering, which her expressions had revealed. Thomas’s compassion toward her had prevented him from pressing for an immediate response. He had, in fact, made the situation easier by leaving it open with the declaration that they would meet again.

Thomas believed that in the next meeting, Jonie too would gain the strength to express herself. For now, they had ended their first meeting with the thought that they would meet again someday. No date had been fixed, nor was it necessary. Thomas had thought to himself: if Jonie did not make any request in between, he would wait a week and then propose a time himself.

While Thomas kept thinking such thoughts, three days passed. One morning, a message arrived. When he checked his phone, he saw it was from Jonie. Out of many daily messages, this one seemed important, so he gave it attention. The message was short: “Good morning. Are you fine? Did you have tea?” That was all. Thomas too, just to maintain courtesy, replied: “Good morning. I’m fine, how about you? I’ve already had tea, did you?” After a while, Jonie responded: “I’m fine.” Neither had many words to exchange. What more could they say?

Perhaps, after their last meeting, remaining completely silent without communication would have made Thomas suspicious or unhappy, so Jonie must have felt compelled to send that message. Or maybe the message was a hint to remind Thomas of arranging their next meeting. Since it was Thomas who had said “we will meet again,” perhaps Jonie wanted him to make the proposal. That might have been the reason for her message. Whatever the case, their conversation did not go beyond that.

Thomas waited a few more days. A week passed. Jonie did not send another message, nor did Thomas. One night, before sleeping, Thomas felt that the remaining matters needed to be cleared up. He interpreted Jonie’s earlier message as a desire to meet again, and he felt he should now send a message proposing the time. So, he texted Jonie: “If you’re free, let’s meet tomorrow or the day after. At the same place, at the same time.”

After that, Thomas spent an hour busy on social media. No reply had arrived. Since his phone was in his hand, he was sure no message had come. He stayed online for some time, then before sleeping, he checked if the message had been read. It hadn’t. He thought perhaps she was busy, or outside network coverage. He went to bed, waiting for a reply the next day.

The next morning, after completing his daily routines, Thomas took a cup of tea and checked his phone. Still, his message had not been read. He calmly decided that waiting was the right choice. Though he wanted everything clarified, there was no rush. The whole day passed with him busy in his work, and no message came. By evening, however, Jonie finally sent a text: “I had gone to attend a family program of relatives. I wasn’t feeling well, so I’m resting now, but I’m getting better. I’ll let you know after I return home.” Thomas replied: “Ok, take care.”

Thomas’s love for Jonie was indeed deep. After a long time, it now seemed that Jonie too had begun to develop feelings for Thomas. Whatever the reason, love appeared to be growing in both, with devotion toward each other.

A few days later, during the daytime, Thomas was in the market for some work. After finishing, he had some free time. He thought of Jonie. Her phone number had been stored in his mobile for years, though he hadn’t called her. Since the past three years, there had been no calls at all. Today, he thought of calling her—he had the excuse of asking about her health. So, he dialed.

Jonie answered. He asked if she was feeling better, and if she had returned home. She replied that she was fine now and had returned only the previous evening. Thomas told her that he was in the market and asked if they could meet if she was free. Jonie immediately agreed and even surprised him, saying: “If you can, come and pick me up, I’ll come out to the main road ready.”

Thomas was astonished. He sensed that Jonie was trying to come much closer, as if she had removed all hesitation and considered him very dear. It wasn’t far, only a 10-minute distance. Thomas said: “Alright, be ready and come out to the main road. I’ll be there.”

Thomas then went to pick Jonie up. When he reached, she was waiting at the roadside. She smiled. This time, it wasn’t a forced smile, but a loving one—like the joy of meeting someone very dear. Thomas felt happiness rising within him and smiled too. Neither spoke. She quietly sat on the bike, and Thomas turned it in the opposite direction. They rode away.

When they reached the main square, Thomas stopped and asked: “Shall we go to the same place?”—meaning the teashop where they had last met. Jonie replied: “No, let’s not go there. Let’s go to the park instead, it will be more private.”

There were many parks. Thomas chose one a bit farther, about 5–6 kilometers away. They traveled there, parked the bike, bought tickets at the gate, and entered. Jonie looked at Thomas and smiled again. Slowly, she held his hand. Thomas was amazed, and his love deepened even more. It truly felt as if Jonie had now accepted him as her own.

They sat in a somewhat secluded place. Jonie was the first to open her mouth, “Are you alright?” Today, Jonie seemed a little more open, even cheerful. There was no doubt on her face; it felt as though she was now with the very person she had always belonged to, but whom she had met again after a long time. Thomas also wanted to open up. She looked so affectionate today. Jonie, smiling, said, “Maybe it’s because your eyes themselves look so loving.” Both of them smiled. Unlike their previous meeting, there was no hesitation now. Time had given them a chance to open up.

Thomas raised the same curiosity that he had asked in their earlier meeting, the one Jonie had not answered, when only tears had flowed, and that meeting had ended. This time, however, Jonie answered with a smile—“Why should I not be allowed to love you?”

Then, pausing for a moment, Jonie said—“Yes, at first I did ignore you, but I never hated you. I was analyzing from many angles—whether you were trying to take advantage of me, whether you had bad intentions, or whether you were just joking. But deep inside, I had been recognizing you as a genuinely good person. Still, despite your age and family condition, when those kinds of messages came, I wondered if you were the type of person who, without caring for dignity or dishonor, would just act recklessly. I could not feel that there was genuine love blooming.

Time kept passing. After that, such messages from you never came. If you were really that kind of person, surely such messages would have continued. I also wondered why a man with a family would do such things. Then more time passed—one year, two years, and now even three years. Since then, you never showed such behavior. You never stopped liking or giving small comments on my posts on social media. But I never once responded to your posts.

Meanwhile, my marriage kept getting delayed. One day I imagined—‘I am educated, and generally, I believe my family background is good. I have never had the intention to think wrongly or do immoral things. But why has no proposal for marriage come for me?’ This question kept haunting me. Younger women than me already had children who were walking, and this fact also troubled me. Then I realized—people often get lost in physical attraction. Without true love, it means nothing. Looking at a beautiful body is not love, it is only attraction. Marrying for money is also just selfishness. In reality, true love does not appear easily. If I had been beautiful, then proposals for marriage would surely have come—but that would not have been love, only attraction.

Then she said—“Now I realize that you truly do love me, in a way that no one else has ever expressed to me. Yes, your age is advanced, you have a family—that is a situation. But I feel your love is real. Slowly, feelings of love for you began to awaken in me. For a long time, I could not say it, but finally I gathered courage to decide. Since you had already expressed love to me first, I did not feel there was a problem in raising the subject again.

Alright then, don’t marry me publicly, let’s marry secretly. If we cannot live together, then we won’t, but I will accept you as my husband and live in my own house. From now on, even if opportunities come, I will not marry anyone else. To my family, I will say that I will remain unmarried. In this world, not everyone gets married. Even if they do, not everyone gets children. Some get divorced soon after marriage. People’s lives have many forms. Happiness can be found in many ways. For us, our marriage will be real. We may not be able to have children, but we can find opportunities to meet, and sometimes plan trips away together for two to four days. I want to honor the love you have given me. I do not want to hurt your family, but neither do I want to lose your true love.”

Saying this, she paused. Thomas also stayed silent for a while. A deep quietness spread. After a moment, Thomas spoke—“I agree, but without children, your old age may be sad, and also, there is a difference of age between you and me.”

Jonie replied calmly—“There are also examples of those who married at the same age, yet lost their partner and had to live alone. There are also examples of people who never received love at all. So, receiving love even from someone of a different age is a much greater thing than marrying someone the same age but not receiving love. It is also better than marrying someone the same age only to separate soon after. A relationship with an older person, but filled with love, is many times better. I will earn, I will collect some property, and my brothers’ sons will be there. They will inherit my property. They will also become my support in old age. So there is no problem. After all, how long is life anyway?”

Thomas took a deep breath—“I am ready. Socially, our marriage is not possible. But for you and me, our marriage is real.” Thomas looked around. There was no one. It was a secluded place. He pulled her into his arms. Jonie held him tightly too. Both of them gave each other the sign of their secret marriage. They separated from the embrace, and then Jonie, with happiness and a smile, said—“It’s already very late today. Shall we end this meeting here? The remaining days are still ahead of us. We will remain in contact, we will keep meeting.” Thomas agreed.

By creating a strange world of love, they left that place together.

( The End)